Energy transfer in europium doped yttrium vanadate crystals

The absorption, fluorescence and excitation spectra and fluorescence lifetimes were obtained at temperatures from 8 K to room temperature, for single crystals of yttrium vanadate doped with several concentrations of europium. A model is proposed to explain the luminescence properties of YVO₄ crystals based on transitions within the VO^3-₄ ion. The host sensitized energy transfer in YVO₄: Eu³⁺ is explained by amodel based on thermally activated exciton migration. The model predicts the observed temperature and concentration dependences for the fluorescence intensities and lifetimes. The diffusion coefficient, diffusion length, exciton hopping time and trapping rate are determined and compared with similar data obtained on other systems.