Tunneling luminescence of Y2O3 and Sc2O3 ceramics

In the present work we investigate the tunneling luminescence (TL) of Y₂O₃, Y₂O₃:Eu, and Sc₂O₃ ceramics. From an analysis of the decay kinetics of the TL it is established that the recombinational processes are described by a model involving recombination with a complex interaction. In addition, using the method of partial light sums, we show that in the ceramics investigated the mechanisms of TL are the same and the majority of radiation-induced defects in pairs are removed to distances exceeding the radius of effective tunneling transitions with a time constant of 10–100 sec. In the Y₂O₃:Eu ceramics the distances between defects decrease. TL occurs in pairs whose electron component is F-centers that are thermally released at 176 K in the Y₂O₃ ceramics and 200 K in the Sc₂O₃ ceramics. The hole components of tunneling pairs are associated with centers that are thermally released at 110 and 122 K in the Y₂O₃ ceramics and at 121 and 146 K in the Sc₂O₃ ceramics. To whom correspondence should be addressed. I. Franko Lvov State University, 50, Dragomanov Str., Lvov, 290005, Ukraine. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 5, pp. 649–651, September–October, 1999.