Synthesis of Sb-doped ZnO microspheres by pulsed laser ablation and their photoluminescence properties

摘要

We succeeded in synthesizing antimony (Sb)-doped ZnO microspheres by ablating a ZnO sintered target containing 5 wt% of Sb with a Nd:YAG laser at a fluence of 25 J/cm~2 in air. The well-spherical ZnO microcrystals with diameters of 1-20 μm were collected on a substrate which was put near the ablation spot. Most of the ZnO microspheres have a crystalline structure. In addition, Raman peak of the Sb-doped ZnO microspheres was shifted toward lower frequency side, indicating substitutional Sb~(3+) at Zn antisite. Room-temperature photoluminescence properties of the microsphere were investigated under 325 nm He-Cd laser or 355 run Nd:YAG laser excitation. An ultraviolet (UV) emission and lasing in whispering gallery mode were observed from the photoexcited microsphere.