High-efficiency erbium ion luminescence in silicon nanocrystal systems

The photoluminescence spectra and kinetics of both erbium-doped and undoped multilayer structures of quasi-ordered silicon nanocrystals in a silicon dioxide matrix were studied. It was shown that the optical excitation energy of silicon nanocrystals 2–3 nm in size can be practically completely transferred to Er³⁺ ions in the oxide surrounding the nanocrystals, with its subsequent radiation at 1.5 μm. Possible reasons for the high excitation efficiency of the Er³⁺ ions are discussed, and the conclusion is drawn that the F?rster mechanism is dominant in the energy transfer processes occurring in these structures. __________ Translated from Fizika Tverdogo Tela, Vol. 46, No. 1, 2004, pp. 105–109. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2004 by Kashkarov, Kamenev, Lisachenko, Shalygina, Timoshenko, Schmidt, Heitmann, Zacharias.     

The Interaction of O2, NO,and N2O with Surface Defects of Dispersed Titanium Dioxide

A combined study of intrinsic structural defects in reduced TiO₂ was performed using mass spectrometry, optical diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy, and UV photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). It was found that the reduction of TiO₂ resulted in the appearance of absorption in the region 0.50 h 3.50 eV (400 2500 nm), which is formed by absorption due to free electrons (a continuum at h 1.50 eV), local centers—Ti³⁺ ions (a band at 2.00 eV), and oxygen vacancies (bands at 1.17, 2.81, and 2.55 eV). The spectrum of induced occupied electronic states in the forbidden gap and the position of oxygen vacancy levels with respect to the Fermi level were determined by UPS. The absorption of reduced TiO₂ was stable on the sample to T = 800 K in a vacuum; however, it weakened in contact with O₂, NO, and N₂O molecules beginning at T = 300 K (surface sites) and T 400 K (subsurface sites) as a result of filling oxygen vacancies with atomic oxygen in the course of dissociative adsorption. The adsorption complexes formed by the interaction of O₂, NO, and N₂O with defects were analyzed by temperature-programmed desorption. The distribution of sites over the energies of oxygen binding was found with the use of a nonuniform surface model, and specific oxygen adsorption species were revealed. It was found that the irradiation of TiO₂ activates the formation and decay of sites and results in the formation of specific O₂ and N₂O adsorption species.     

Manifestation of oxygen desorption in photoluminescence spectra of ZnO

The influence of oxygen desorption on the photoluminescence of zinc oxide has been investigated. Photodesorption and thermal desorption of oxygen have been controlled using mass spectrometry. It has been found that the removal of oxygen from the ZnO surface leads to a manifold increase in the exciton photoluminescence intensity. The process has a reversible character. The mechanism of increase in the exciton luminescence intensity of ZnO during the oxygen desorption has been discussed.     

Degradation of the reflectivity of white anodic-oxide coatings in thermal vacuum treatment

Using the spectroscopic method of diffuse reflection in the region between 0.5 and 6 eV, we investigate the degradation of reflectivity in thermal vacuum treatment of white anodic-oxide coatings on an Al alloy (Al–AOC) that are used as thermoregulating coatings of space vehicles. It is established that at T≥350 K absorption bands at 4.05 and ∼4.7 eV resembling those induced by UV irradiation in vacuum appear in the diffuse reflection spectra of Al–AOC. The kinetics of the increase of absorption in heating Al–AOC with a constant rate correlates with the rate of gas liberation from specimens. We assume that a thermally activated reaction with the formation of color centers identical to those produced by the photoeffect occur in Al–AOC in vacuum at T≥350 K. This process is accompanied by desorption of molecular products. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 64, No. 5, pp. 664–667, September–October, 1997.     

Modeling of the Kinetics of Photoactivated Isotope Exchange O2 ⇄ ZnO in a Flow-Through Reactor

Kinetics and Catalysis - A three-channel model of interaction of the O2 gas with zinc oxide during photoactivated oxygen isotope exchange (POIE) in a flow-through reactor is suggested including (1)...     

Photoinduced Effects in the ZnO Luminescence Spectra

The effect of intense UV irradiation on the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of ZnO powders and nanocrystalline films obtained by atomic layer deposition (ALD) was investigated. At room temperature, the behavior of the spectra under continuous UV irradiation in multiple vacuum-atmosphere cycles was studied. The changes in the intensities of exciton radiation and radiation in the “green” band region, associated with the phenomena of oxygen photodesorption and photoadsorption, are discussed. In the temperature range of 5–300 K, the effect of strong UV irradiation on the near-edge luminescence spectrum of ZnO films was studied. The nature of a new line arising in the photoluminescence spectra of an irradiated film in the region of emission of bound excitons is discussed.

     

Erbium ion luminescence of silicon nanocrystal layers in a silicon dioxide matrix measured under strong optical excitation

The photoluminescence (PL) spectra and kinetics of erbium-doped layers of silicon nanocrystals dispersed in a silicon dioxide matrix (nc-Si/SiO₂) are studied. It was found that optical excitation of nc-Si can be transferred with a high efficiency to Er³⁺ ions present in the surrounding oxide. The efficiency of energy transfer increases with increasing pumping photon energy and intensity. The process of Er³⁺ excitation is shown to compete successfully with nonradiative recombination in the nc-Si/SiO₂ structures. The Er³⁺ PL lifetime was found to decrease under intense optical pumping, which implies the establishment of inverse population in the Er³⁺ system. The results obtained demonstrate the very high potential of erbium-doped nc-Si/SiO₂ structures when used as active media for optical amplifiers and light-emitting devices operating at a wavelength of 1.5 μm.     

Nonlinear Goursat-Darboux control problem: Conditions for the preservation of global solvability

We consider the nonlinear vector Goursat-Darboux problem of general form with a control on the right-hand side in the differential equation. We consider the case in which its solution necessarily belongs to the class of functions with p-integrable (for some p > 1) mixed and first partial derivatives. In this connection, we use the fact that the first derivatives of such a solution are elements of spaces with a mixed norm; these spaces are much narrower than L _p . Sufficient conditions for the preservation of the global solvability of the problem under control perturbations are proved.     

Long-Lived Photocatalysis Centers Created in ZnO via Resonant Exciton Excitation

Physics of the Solid State - ZnO together with TiO2 is a main photocatalyst for various redox reactions to convert light energy into a chemical one and to purify the environment. Intrinsic surface...