Tuning the optical, vibrational, and nonlinear optical properties of Pr:Co3O4 thin films for improved opto-nonlinear device performances

Abstract

Tuning the optoelectronic properties of metal oxide thin films plays a vital role in device physics. Thus, we have prepared praseodymium (Pr) doped Co3O4 thin films by spray coating technique. The cubic structure of the formed Co3O4 has been confirmed through XRD analysis and the effect of Pr on its crystalline properties is studied. Then the band gap and the energy levels of the valence and conduction bands were calculated and their electronegativity respectively. Further, the phonon lifetime of the vibrational mode is calculated by the Cusco relation. Then, the photoluminescence studies reveal the phonon (lattice) contributions in the emission spectra of the prepared Co3O4 thin films. Finally, we have shown that the 1 wt% Pr plays a crucial role on the non-linear optical response of Co3O4. The values of χ(1) were found to be in the range 0.28–1.45 and χ(3) are 7.74 × 10−10 - 1.76 × 10−12 esu. The obtained results suggest that the Pr atoms have significant effects on the optoelectronic and non-linear optical properties of Co3O4.