Terbium-doped yttrium-aluminum oxide films were synthesized by spin-on deposition on porous anodic alumina grown on a silicon wafer and annealed from 400 to 1100 degrees C. An influence of the annealing temperature on the terbium photoluminescence (PL) was studied using two-dimensional PL excitation and time-resolved spectroscopy. Further, a comparison of thermal quenching data for the most intensive D-5(4) -> F-7(5) luminescence band of Tb3+ ions was performed for 10-300 K. From the resultant data, the mechanisms of Tb excitation and its dependence on the annealing conditions are proposed and discussed. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3373123] All rights reserved.