The most efficient phosphors currently available for fluorescent lamps

cathode-ray tubes

and flat panel displays are sulfides. Recently

there is growing interest in developing thin film oxide phosphors doped with transition metal or rare earth ions because they are chemically and thermally more stable. In addition

it is well known that thin film phosphors have advantages such as high contrast ratio

high ambient visibility

high image resolution and good heat resistance in display applications. For these reasons oxide-based thin film phosphors have been widely studied.In this paper

thin films of barium aluminate (BaAl

2

O

4

) doped separately with thulium

terbium

and europium were deposited by a spray pyrolysis method. The effects of preparation conditions on the structural and luminescence properties of the films were investigated. Polycrystalline BaAl

2

O

4

films were formed at an annealing temperature above 700℃. Tm

3+

and Tb

3+

doped films deposited on glass emitted blue and green light

respectively. While in the films doped with europium

both red emission lines from Eu

3+

and a broad blue or blue-green emission band from Eu

2+

were observed. The BaAl

2

O

4

: Tm

3+

film has the main emission wavelength at 462nm

and the highest cathodoluminescence (CL) luminance and efficiency at 5kV and 57μA/cm

2

were 25cd/m

2

and 0.11lm/W

respectively. For the BaAl

2

O

4

: Tb

3+

film with the main wavelength at 549nm

the highest CL luminance and efficiency at the same condition were 120cd/cm

2

and 0.55 lm/W

respectively. A luminance of 50cd/m

2

and efficiency of 0.23lm/W were obtained for red emission at 616nm of the BaAl

2

O

4

: Eu

3+

film grown on glass. Bright blue emission peaking at 452nm was obtained in the BaAl

2

O

4

: Eu

2+

film grown on an aluminosilicate ceramic plate and annealed in N

2

:H

2

(95:5) at 1100℃. Its luminance and efficiency were 640cd/m

2

and 2.93lm/W

respectively.