Raman scattering of perovskite DyScO(3) and GdScO(3) single crystals.

We report an investigation of DyScO(3) and GdScO(3) single crystals by Raman scattering in various scattering configurations and at various wavelengths. The Raman spectra are well defined and the reported spectral signature together with the mode assignment set the basis for the use of Raman scattering for the investigation of rare earth scandates. The observed positions of Raman modes for DyScO(3) are for most bands in reasonable agreement with recent theoretical ab initio predictions of the vibrational spectrum for the same material. Further to the phonon signature, a luminescence signal is observed for both scandates. While the luminescence is weak for DyScO(3), it is very intense for GdScO(3) when using a 488 or 514 nm excitation line, which in turn inhibits full analysis of the phonon spectrum. We show that a meaningful phonon Raman analysis of GdScO(3) samples can be done by using a 633 nm excitation.