Crystal Structure,Electronic Structure,and Luminescence of Cs2KYF6:Pr3+

The crystal structure, electronic states and VUV spectroscopic behaviour of Cs₂KYF₆ doped with Pr³⁺ ions have been investigated both by experimental and theoretical methods. Cs₂KYF₆ ( , Z = 4, a = 945.5(3) pm, R1_all = 0.0297) crystallizes with the cubic elpasolite type of structure. The local relaxation of the activator ions in the host lattices has been calculated by the projector augmented wave method (computer code VASP). The electronic states have been calculated using a spin density functional procedure based on the atomic sphere approximation (computer code ASW). VUV spectroscopic measurements show fast 4f¹5d¹ → 4f² emission of nanosecond duration as well as slow 4f² → 4f² emission depending on the excitation energy which indicates the occupation of different sites in the host lattice. This assumption was verified by a recently developed quantum mechanical method. The combination of the experimental and the theoretical results show that the Pr³⁺ ions are occupying three different sites, namely the Y³⁺ and the Cs⁺ site as well as the K⁺ site.