Stimulation von ZnS-Phosphoren mit langwelligem Infrarot

Stimulation experiments with ZnS phosphors, using IR wavelengths from 2 to 15μ, were performed at the temperature of liquid helium. For this purpose a cryostat was constructed which allowed to keep the samples and the screening device at the temperature of liquid helium. Moreover glow curves after different decay times at 6 °K were taken. After excitation of ZnS phosphors a strong release of carriers from relatively deep traps is taking place although the phosphor is kept at the temperature of liquid helium. This emptying of traps is accompanied by a luminous recombination of the released electrons with the activator levels producing an intense afterglow which can be observed over a long time. This phenomenon cannot be explained by thermal release of trapped electrons into the conduction band, followed by recombination with the activator levels because of the depth of the emptied traps. The rate of thermal carrier release was calculated to be about 10^?29 sec^?1 for 0,05 eV deep traps, but the observed rate was of the order of 10^?4 sec^?1. An emptying of traps by IR-stimulation can be excluded because the phosphor was surrounded by a concentric screening device kept at 4.2 °K. The effect can be explained by luminous tunneling of trapped electrons to the activator levels. An estimate of the tunneling rate gives a value agreeing with the experimental results. If such a “tunnel afterglow” does exist a spectral shift to longer wavelengths compared to the usual fluorescence and phosphorescence is to be expected. This could be actually observed. Additional experiments included IR-stimulated emission after various decay times, glow curves taken after such stimulation, and studies of the influence of temperature. The results rule out the possibility that the carriers were released from the traps by IR light. Apparently, IR radiation affects the potential barrier between the traps and the activators so that the rate of recombination by tunneling increases.