Influences of Mg^2＋ ion on dopant occupancy and upconversion luminescence of Ho^3＋ ion in LiNbO3 crystal

The effects of a Mg^2＋ ion on the dopant occupancy and upconversion luminescence of a Ho^3＋ ion in LiNbO3 crystal are reported. The birefringence gradient of the crystal is measured to investigate the optical homogeneity. The X-ray powder diffraction spectrum and the upconversion luminescence are used to investigate defect structure and spectroscopic properties of Mg,Ho：LiNbO3. Under 808-nm excitation, blue, red, and very intense yellow-green bands are observed. Based on the energy levels of Ho^3＋ in LiNbO3, and the pump intensity dependence of the observed emission, an excitation scheme is presented. The upconversion emission spectra reveal an enhancement of upconversion intensity when the Mg^2＋ ions are introduced into Ho：LiNbO3. The main upconversion mechanism is discussed in this work.     

Long lasting phosphorescence of Eu2+-activated MO-B2O3 glasses

In this letter, Eu 2+ -activated MO-B 2 O 3 (M=Ca, Sr, and Ba) glasses are prepared in reductive atmosphere and their long lasting phosphorescence properties are studied. The intensity of the phosphorescence for the glasses is Sr>Ca>Ba. The light-induced electron paramagnetic resonance signal is observed after the irradiation of an ultraviolet lamp, which is due to the electron trapped by oxygen vacancy. The energy depth of the glasses is calculated using Hoogenstraaten’s method.     

Influence of Gamma-Ray Irradiation on Absorption and Fluorescent Spectra of Nd：YAG and Yb：YAG Laser Crystals

We investigate the influence of gamma-ray irradiation on the absorption and fluorescent spectra of Nd^3＋：Y3A15 O12 （Nd： YAG） and Yb^3＋ ： Y3A15 O12 （Yb： YAG） crystals grown by the Czochralski method. Two additional absorption （AA） bands induced by gamma-ray irradiation appear at 255nm and 340nm. The former is contributed due to Fe^3＋ impurity, the latter is due to Fe^2＋ ions and F-type colour centres. The intensity of the excitation and emission spectra as well as the fluorescent lifetime of Nd：YAG crystal decrease after the irradiation of 100 Mrad gamma-ray. In contrast, the same dose irradiation does not impair the fluorescent properties of Yb：YAG crystal. These results indicate that Yb： YA G crystal possesses the advantage over Nd： YA G crystal that has better reliability for applications in harsh radiant environment.     

Various Trap States at SiGe-SiO2 Interface Formed by a Pulsed Laser

We report fabrication of low-dimensional structures in air by a pulsed laser on SiGe alloy samples in which different oxide structures are formed by laser irradiation and annealing treatment. The micro-structures on SiGe are more complex than those on Si. A series of photolumineseence （PL） emission is observed due to various trap states at the SiGe-SiO2 interface formed under different preparing conditions. The peak centre of PL emission exhibits red=shift from Si to SiGe because of narrower gap. A model for explaining the PL emission is proposed in which the trap states of the interface between some oxide and SiGe play an important role.     

Sr3Bi（PO4）3：Eu^2＋ Luminescence,Concentration Quenching and Crystallographic Sites

A blue emitting phosphor Sr3Bi（PO4）3：Eu2＋ is synthesized luminescent property is investigated. Sr3Bi（PO4 ）3 ：Eu^2＋ can by a high-temperature solid state method, and its create blue emission under the 332 radiation excitation, and the prominent luminescence in blue （423nm） due to the 4fSd^1→4f^7 transition of the Eu^2＋ ion. The crystallographic sites of the Eu^2＋ ion in Sr3Bi（PO4）3 are analyzed, and the 420 and 440 nm emission peaks of the Eu^2＋ ion are assigned to the nine-coordination and eight-coordination, respectively. The emission intensity of Sr3Bi（PO4）3：Eu^2＋ is influenced by the Eu^2＋ doping content, and the concentration quenching effect is observed. The quenching mechanism is the dipole-dipole interaction, and the critical distance of energy transfer is calculated by the concentration quenching method to be approximately 1.72nm.     

Femtosecond laser-induced long-lasting phosphorescence in Pr^3＋-doped ZnO-B2O3-SiO2 glass

This paper studies the phenomenon of long-lasting phosphorescence induced by a femtosecond laser in Pr3 -doped ZnO-B2O3-SiO2 glass. With the glass irradiated by a focused femtosecond laser for a short time, the emission of strong reddish long-lasting phosphorescence from the irradiated part of the glass can be observed. The emission peaks are located at 495 and 603 nm in wavelength, showing that the long-lasting phosphorescence originates from the emission of Pr^3 . The intensity of the phosphorescence decreases in inverse proportion to time after the removal of the laser. By analysing the absorption and electron spin resonance spectra of the glass, we find that colour-centres are induced in the glass matrix after the irradiation of the femtosecond laser. A possible mechanism has been provided to account for the generation of long-lasting phosphorescence.     

Blue-to-Orange Tunable Luminescence from Europium Doped Yttrium--Silicon--Oxide--Nitride Phosphors

Europium-doped yttrium-silicon-oxide-nitride phosphors are synthesized by carbothermal reduction and nitridation method. The crystal structure of the phosphors changed gradually from oxide Y2Si2O7 to nitride YSi3N5 state with increasing dosage of Si3N4 and carbon powder. The Y2Si2O7：Eu phosphor shows a blue emission at 465 nm with 300 nm excitation and a characteristic red emission of Eu^3＋ at 612 nm with 230 nm excitation. The YSi3N5：EU phosphor shows a broad emission band centred at 595nm with some sharp peaks of Eu^3＋ with 325nm excitation. The absorption of the studied phosphors increases from 450 to 700hm with an increment in nitrogen content. Blue-to-orange tunable luminescence is observed with 390 nm excitation.     

Long-Lasting Phosphorescence Properties of Pyrochlore La2Ti2O7：Pr^3＋ Phosphor

The La2Ti2O7：Pr^3＋, which emits red color luminescence upon UV light excitation, is prepared by the conventional high-temperature solid-state method and its luminescent properties are systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, afterglow emission spectra and long-lasting phosphorescence （LLP） decay curves are used to characterize this phosphor. After irradiation by a 290-nm UV light for 3 rain, the Pr^3＋-doped La2Ti2O7 phosphor emits intense red emitting afterglow from the ^1D2 →^ 3H4 transitions, and its afterglow can be seen with the naked eye in the dark clearly for more than 1 h after removal of the excitation source. The afterglow decay curve of the Pr^3＋-doped La2Ti2O7 phosphor contains a fast decay component and another slow decay one. The possible mechanism of this red light emitting LLP phosphor is also discussed based on the experimental results.     

Luminescence Spectra of SrA112O19：Pr^3＋, Mn^2＋ under VUV-UV Excitation

Luminescence spectra of SrAl12O19：Pr^3＋,Mn^2＋ under VUV-UV excitation are investigated. The characteristic emissions between 4f levels and the excitation of 5d for Pr^3＋ are observed. The emission of Mn^3＋ peaks at 517nm and the excitations clue to the ground to multiplets are observed at 276, 360, 386 and 426nm. However, the spectral overlap between the emission of Pr^3＋ and excitation of Mn^2＋ is absent, suggesting that the quantum splitting cannot be achieved via a Pr^3＋ Mn^2＋ ion pair in the host SrAl12O19.     

Growth and optical properties of Cr~（3＋）-doped CdWO_4 single crystals

A high-quality Cr 3+:CdWO4 single crystal at a size of approximatelyΦ25×80 mm is grown using the Bridgman method with CdO,WO3,and Cr2O3 as raw materials and their molar ratio of 100:100:0.5.The temperature gradient of solid-liquid interface at growth is approximately 50?C/cm and the growth rate is 0.05 mm/h.The X-ray diffraction(XRD),absorption,excitation,and emission spectra of different parts of the as-grown and O2-annealed crystals are investigated.Two strong broad optical absorption bands of about 472 and 708 nm are observed,and they are associated with the transitions 4 A2→ 4 T1 and 4 A2→ 4 T2.The weak 4 T2→ 2 E transition(the R-line)at 632 nm is also observed.The crystal-field parameter Dq and the Racah parameters B and C are estimated to be 1 412.4,776.8,and 3 427.6 cm? 1,respectively,according to the absorption spectra and crystal-splitting theory.A broadband fluorescence at about 1 000 nm due to 4 T2→ 4 A2 transition is produced by exciting the samples at 675 nm.After being annealed in an O2 atmosphere,the crystals become more transparent,while the effective light absorption of Cr 3+ ions is evidently enhanced and the emission intensity is also strengthened due to the reduction of oxygen vacancies in the CdWO4 crystal after annealing.     

Preparation and Luminescence Characteristics of Ca3Y2（BO3）4：Eu^3＋ Phosphor

Ca3Y2 （BO3）4：Eu^3＋ phosphor is synthesized by high temperature solid-state reaction method, and the Iuminescence characteristics are investigated. The emission spectrum exhibits two strong red emissions at 613 and 621 nm corresponding to the electric dipole ^5 Do- ^7F2 transition of Eu^3＋ under 365 nm excitation, the reason is that Eu^3＋ substituting for Y^3＋ occupies the non-centrosymmetric position in the crystal structure of Ca3 Y2 （BO3）4. The excitation spectrum for 613 nm indicates that the phosphor can be effectively excited by ultraviolet （UV） （254 nm, 365nm and 400nm） and blue （470nm） light. The effect of Eu^3＋ concentration on the emission intensity of Ca3 Y2 （BO3）4 ：Eu^3＋ phosphor is measured, the result shows that the emission intensities increase with increasing Eu^3＋ concentration, then decrease. The CIE colour coordinates of Ca3Y2 （BO3）4：Eu^3＋ phosphor is （0.639, 0.357） at 15mol% Eu^3＋.     

Vacuum Ultraviolet Excited Photoluminescence Properties of Novel Na3Y9O3（BO3）8：Tb^3＋ Phosphor

The novel vacuum ultraviolet （VUV） excited Na3 Y9O3 （BO3）8：Tb^3＋ （NYOB：Tb^3＋） green phosphor is prepared. Strong VUV photoluminescence and high quenching concentration of Tb^3＋ （20 wt%） are observed in NYOB： Tb^3＋ and the strong emission are correlated with the unique layer-type structure of NYOB. All the characteristic 4 f - 5d transitions of Tb^3＋ and the host absorption band in VUV region are identified in the excitation spectrum. Based on the results, the energy levels scheme of Tb^3＋ in NYOB：Tb^3＋ is first established. This newly developed NYOB：Tb^3＋ phosphor shows excellent optical properties when compared with the commercial Zn2SiO4：Mn^2＋ and would be a potential VUV-excited green phosphor.     

Luminescent Characteristics of LiSrBO3：Eu3＋ Phosphor for White Light Emitting Diode

LiSrBO3 ：Eu3＋ phosphor is synthesized by a high solid-state reaction method, and its luminescent characteristics are investigated. The emission and excitation spectra of LiSrBO3：Eu3＋ phosphors exhibit that the phosphors can be effectively excited by near ultraviolet （401 nm） and blue （471 nm） light, and emit 615nm red light. The effect of Eua＋ concentration on the emission spectrum of LiSrBO3：Eu3＋ phosphor is studied; the results show that the emission intensity increases with increasing Eu3＋ concentration, and then decreases because of concentration quenching. It reaches the maximum at 3mol%, and the concentration self-quenching mechanism is the dipoledipole interaction according to the Dexter theory. Under the conditions of charge compensation Li＋, Na＋ or K＋ incorporated in LiSrBO3, the luminescent intensities of LiSrBO3 ：Eua＋ phosphor are enhanced.     

Quantum cutting downconversion by cooperative energy transfer from Bi3+ to Yb3+ in Y2O3 phosphor

Bi~(3+) and Yb~(3+) codoped cubic Y2O3 phosphors are prepared by pechini sol-gel method.Strong near-infrared (NIR) emission around 980 nm from Yb~(3+)(2F5/2 → 2F7/2) is observed under ultraviolet light excitation.A broad excitation band ranging from 320 to 360 nm,owing to the 6s 2 →6s6p transition of Bi~(3+) ions,is recorded when the Yb~(3+) emission is monitored,which suggests a very efficient energy transfer from Bi~(3+) ions to Yb~(3+) ions.The Yb~(3+) concentration dependences of both the Bi~(3+) and the Yb~(3+) emissions are investigated.The decay curve of Bi ~(3+) emission under the excitation of 355 nm pulse laser is used to explore the Bi~(3+) →Yb~(3+) energy transfer process.Cooperative energy transfer (CET) is discussed as a possible mechanism for the near-infrared emission.     

Spectral Hole-Burning of Eu^3＋：Y2SiO5 Crystal at 16 K

By using an Ar^＋ ion laser, a tunable Rh 6G dye laser （linewidth 0.5cm^-1） pumped by the second harmonic of a YAG：Nd laser and a Coherent 899-21 dye laser as light sources and using a monochromator, a phase-locking amplifier and a computer as the data detecting system, we detect the optical properties of Eu^3＋-doped Y2SiO5 crystal. Persistent ,spectral hole burning （PSHB） are observed in the Eu^3＋ ions spectral lines （^5 Do-T Fo transition） in the crystal at the temperature of 16K. For 15mW dye laser burning the crystal for 0.1 s spectral holes with hole width about 80 MHz both at 579.62nm and at 579.82nm are detected and the holes can remain for a long time, more than 10h.     

Luminescence Spectra of YGG：RE^3＋, Bi^3＋ （RE = Eu and Tb） and Energy Transfer from Bi^3＋ to RE^3＋

We investigate the luminescence properties of Bi^3＋ and RE^3＋ （RE = Tb or Eu） in a Y3Ga5O12 （YGG） host system. The additional doping of Bi^3＋ can enhance the luminescence of Th^3＋ or Eu^3＋ in this host. Energy transfer from Bi^3＋ to Tb^3＋ and Eu^3＋ is observed and the mechanism of energy transfer is investigated. Mechanism of energy transfer can be explained as electric multipole interaction since the Bi^3＋ emission band and Tb^3＋ or Eu^3＋ excitation band overlaps and the Bi^3＋ emission intensity decreases while the intensity of Tb^3＋ or Eu^3＋ increases with the increase of Tb^3＋ or Eu^3＋ concentration. Therefore, Bi^3＋ ion is a kind of efficient sensitizer to the Tb^3＋ and Eu^3＋ activators in the Y3Ga5O12 host.     

Broadband Infrared Luminescence from Bismuth-Doped GeS2--Ga2S3 Chalcogenide Glasses

Near-infrared luminescence is observed from bismuth-doped GeS2-Ga2Sa chalcogenide glasses excited by an 808 nm laser diode. The emission peak with a maximum at about 1260 nm is observed in 80GeS2-2OGa2 Sa：O.fBi glass and it shifts toward the long wavelength with the addition of Bi gradually. The full width of half maximum （FWHM） is about 200 nm. The broadband infrared luminescence of Bi-doped GeS2-Ga2Sa chalcogenide glasses may be predominantly originated from the low valence state of Bi, such as Bi＋. Raman scattering is also conducted to claxify the structure of glasses. These Bi-doped GeS2 Ga2Sa chalcogenide glasses can be applied potentially in novel broadband optical fibre amplifiers and broadly tunable laser in optical communication system.     

Preparation and upconversion properties of Ba2ErF7 and Ba2ErF7:Yb powders

Novel Ba₂ErF₇ and Yb³⁺-doped Ba₂ErF₇ powders were synthesized by a coprecipitation method. In Ba₂ErF₇ sample, abundant upconverted emission bands from violet to infrared region are observed under 980 nm excitation, whereas only green and red emissions are observed under 812 nm excitation. Under the two excitations, the luminescence decay curves of the green and red emissions are measured and the quenching behaviors of Yb³⁺ doping are also explored. It is found that a suitable Yb³⁺ concentration can efficiently enhance the intensity ratio of the blue and violet emissions to the green and red ones, which may be due to the competition between the energy transfer process from Er³⁺ to Yb³⁺ and the sensitizing process from Yb³⁺ to Er³⁺ in Ba₂ErF₇:Yb³⁺. This indicates that the Yb³⁺-doped Ba₂ErF₇ might be a good candidate for blue and violet upconversion phosphor.