Depth dependent X-ray diffraction of porous anodic alumina films filled with cubic YAlO3:Tb3+ matrix

Abstract

The presented paper deals with the measurement methodologies of the structural properties of porous anodic alumina (PAA) films filled with YAlO3:Tb3+ composite using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It shows that the deposited material does not uniformly fill the porous volume of the anodic alumina film and the part of it forms a thick layer on the PAA surface. The aim of this work is to show the differences in the XRD response obtained at different angles of incidence of the excitation beam for the PAA/YAlO3:Tb3+ system. Furthermore, this simple approach enables separation of the signal from both regions on the surface and inside the PAA pores, providing more accurate data interpretation. It reveals that the crystallization of the material on the PAA surface and within the pores is different.