Structure, microstructure and photoluminescence properties of Fe doped SnO2 thin films

In this paper, effects of Fe doping on crystallinity, microstructure and photoluminescence (PL) properties of sol–gel derived SnO2 thin films are reported. It is shown that doping of Fe3+ ions leads to crystallite size reduction and higher strain in SnO2 thin films. The room temperature PL spectra show marked changes in intensity and blue-shift of the emission lines upon Fe doping. These observations have been correlated with structural changes and defect chemistry of Fe doped SnO2 thin films.