ZnO:Er(III) nanosystems analyzed by XPS

ZnO:Er(III) nanosystems were synthesised by a combined RF-sputtering/Sol-Gel (SG) approach. In particular, the adopted route consists in the RF-sputtering of erbium (guest) onto as-prepared zinc oxide xerogels (host) obtained via Sol-Gel, followed by ex-situ heat treatments in air (300-600°C, 1-5 h). The obtained samples were analysed by Glancing Incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), for a detailed investigation of their microstructure, surface morphology and chemical composition. The present work focuses on the XPS analysis of a selected ZnO:Er specimen, annealed at 400°C for 5 h. Besides the wide scan spectrum, detailed spectra for the Zn2p3/2, Zn3p, Er4d, O1s and C1s regions and related data are presented and discussed.