Gd2O3: Eu3+ thin-film phosphors were pulse laser deposited on nanorod-type two-dimensional (2-D) photonic crystal layers (PCL) with 500 and 600 nm pitches as well as non-PCL substrates, in an attempt to improve the efficiency of light extraction. The extraction efficiency was also calculated based on the finite difference time-domain method. The PL efficiency of the phosphor deposited on the PCL with a 500 nm pitch was improved by a factor of 9.3. A comparison between Y2O3: Eu3+ and Gd2O3: Eu3+ revealed that when deposited on PCLs, Gd2O3: Eu3+ thin-film phosphors were more promising in terms of both intrinsic PL efficiency and light extraction. (C) 2005 The Electrochemical Society.