Near-infrared luminescence of OH and Cl doped Bi4Ge3O12 crystals

OH⁻ and Cl⁻ doped Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ (BGO) single crystals had been grown by Vertical Bridgman (VB) method. The structure of these crystals was determined by XRD, the transmittance and emission spectra in near infrared region (NIR) were measured at room temperature. 5% OH⁻ doped BGO shows a significant emission band peaking around 1181 nm under 808 nm laser diodes (LDs) excitation, and the 5% Cl⁻ doped BGO exhibits a relatively weak emission band as well. 100% and 5% OH⁻ doped BGO show noticeable emission band centered at about 1346 nm under 980 nm LDs excitation.     

Spectroscopic properties of OH doped and Bi-rich Bi4Ge3O12 crystals by vertical Bridgman method

OH⁻ doped and Bi-rich Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ (BGO) single crystals were grown by Vertical Bridgman (VB) method. The structure of these crystals was determined by XRD, and the emission spectra in visible and near infrared region (NIR) were measured at room temperature. The emission spectrum of Bi-rich BGO has extra peaks at 385, 367 and 357 nm, Bi-rich BGO after annealing in Ar at 500 °C for 5 h shows a significant emission band peaking around 1170 nm under 808 nm laser diodes (LDs) excitation, and OH⁻ doped BGO shows a noticeable emission band centered at about 1346 nm under 980 nm LDs excitation. A brief discussion is presented.     

Near-infrared emission bands of Er-doped YAP and LSO crystals

The ground state absorption (GSA), photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra for Er(1.0 at%):YAP and Er(0.5 at%):LSO were measured at room temperature. Based on the GSA spectra, the radiative transition rates and luminescence branch ratios of erbium ions were determined by the Judd-Ofelt (J-O) method. In the range of 1400-1700 nm Er(1.0 at%):YAP has intense absorption at 1509 nm (0.96×10⁻²⁰ cm²), which is almost two times larger than the peak absorption of Er(0.5 at%):LSO. From the PL and PLE spectra, four intense emission bands around 850 nm (⁴S_3/2→⁴I_13/2), 980 nm (⁴I_11/2→⁴I_15/2), 1230 nm (⁴S_3/2→⁴I_11/2) and 1520 nm (⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2) were observed. The stimulated emission cross-sections of the four bands were calculated by the Fuchtbauer-Ladenberg (F-L) equation. The results suggest that Er(1.0 at%):YAP has potential to realize laser oscillation at 858 nm because of the relatively large simulated emission cross-section (1.76×10⁻²⁰ cm²). The temperature dependences of the PL spectra for the two crystals were also investigated in the range of 290-12 K. The ∼1520 nm emission presents continuous increase with temperature, while the emissions around 850, 1230 and 980 nm firstly increase with temperature, then reach their own largest values at the transition temperatures (about 100 K), and finally decrease with temperature. These results were well interpreted by the temperature dependence of multi-phonon process.     

Some studies about the green and red light emitting structures in NaCl1−xBrx:Mn

In this work we present the results obtained from the luminescence spectra and X-ray diffraction as well as transmission electron microscopy, at room temperature on crystals of NaCl_1−xNaBr_x:MnCl₂:0.3% (x=0.00, 0.05, 0.25, and 0.50). The results suggest the existence of structures between the crystal planes (1 1 1) and (2 0 0), which may be associated with different types of Mn²⁺ arrangements, such as dipole complexes, octahedral and rhombohedral structures as well as other possible nanostructures that include mixtures of bromine/chlorine ions. These are responsible for the emission spectra of “as grown” crystals consisting of maxima around 500 nm and 600 nm. The green emission has been usually attributed to rhombohedral/tetrahedral symmetry sites; the present results point out that this is due to Mn–Cl/Br nanostructures with rhombohedral structure. On the other hand when the crystals are thermally quenched from 500 °C to room temperature the structures previously detected present changes. Only a red band appears around 620 nm if the samples are later annealed at 80 °C.     

Strong ultraviolet emission from zinc oxide thin films prepared by electrophoretic deposition

In this paper, we report a simple and efficient method to prepare high-quality nanocrystalline ZnO films by electrophoretic deposition. Absorption spectrum and transmission electron microscope image indicated that the average size of ZnO nanoparticles is about 9.5 nm. A strong ultraviolet emission peak at 384 nm is observed and the deep-level emission band is barely observed at room temperature. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed that the ZnO film has a polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure. The Raman spectrum showed a typical resonant multi-phonon process within the ZnO film. The frequency shift of 1 LO phonon was about 583 cm⁻¹.     

Optical and electrical properties of SnS semiconductor crystals grown by physical vapor deposition technique

Tin sulfide (SnS) is a material of interest for use as an absorber in low cost solar cells. Single crystals of SnS were grown by the physical vapor deposition technique. The grown crystals were characterized to evaluate the composition, structure, morphology, electrical and optical properties using appropriate techniques. The composition analysis indicated that the crystals were nearly stoichiometric with Sn-to-S atomic percent ratio of 1.02. Study of their morphology revealed the layered type growth mechanism with low surface roughness. The grown crystals had orthorhombic structure with (0 4 0) orientation. They exhibited an indirect optical band gap of 1.06 eV and direct band gap of 1.21 eV with high absorption coefficient (up to 10³ cm⁻¹) above the fundamental absorption edge. The grown crystals were of p-type with an electrical resistivity of 120 Ω cm and carrier concentration 1.52×10¹⁵ cm⁻³. Analysis of optical absorption and diffuse reflectance spectra showed the presence of a wide absorption band in the wavelength range 300-1200 nm, which closely matches with a significant part of solar radiation spectrum. The obtained results were discussed to assess the suitability of the SnS crystal for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices.     

Optical and EPR study of BaY2F8 single crystals doped with Yb

Optical and electron paramagnetic resonance study have been carried out on BaY₂F₈ single crystals doped with Yb ions at 0.5 and 10 mol%. The crystals have been obtained using the Czochralski method modified for fluoride crystal growth. Optical transmission measurements in the range of 190-3200 nm and photoluminescence measurements were carried out at room temperature. Absorption spectra of BaY₂F₈ single crystals doped with Yb due to the ²F_7/2→²F_5/2 transitions have been observed in the 930-980 nm range. To analyze the possible presence of Yb²⁺ ions in the investigated crystals, irradiation with γ-quanta with a dose of 10⁵ Gy have been performed. The observed photoluminescence bands show usual emission in IR and other one in VIS, being an effect of cooperative emission of Yb³⁺ ions and energy up-conversion transitions of photons from IR to UV-vis(visible) due to hoping process between energy levels of paired Yb³⁺ and Er³⁺, where Er³⁺ ions are unintentional dopants. The EPR spectra of BaY₂F₈:Yb 10 mol% consist of many overlapping lines. They have been analyzed in terms of spin monomers, pairs, and clusters. The angular dependence of the resonance lines positions have been studied also to find the location of coupled ytterbium ions in the crystal structure.     

Growth of α-Al2O3:C crystal with highly sensitive optically stimulated luminescence

In this work, an α-Al₂O₃:C crystal was directly grown by the temperature gradient technique (TGT) using Al₂O₃ and graphite powders as the raw materials. The optical, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) properties and dosimetric characteristics of as-grown crystal were investigated. As-grown α-Al₂O₃:C crystal shows strong absorption band at 205, 230 and 256 nm. Three-dimensional thermoluminescence (TL) emission spectrum of the crystal shows a single emission peak at ∼415 nm. The OSL decay curve can be fitted to two exponentials, the faster component and the slower component. The OSL response of the crystal shows a linear-sublinear-saturation characteristic. As-grown α-Al₂O₃:C crystal shows excellent linearity in the dose range from 5×10⁻⁶ to 50 Gy. For doses higher than the saturation dose (100 Gy), the OSL sensitivity decreases as the dose increases.     

Rapid synthesis of novel flowerlike ZnO structures by thermolysis of zinc acetate

Novel flowerlike ZnO structures have been rapidly synthesized on (1 0 0)-Si substrates via thermolysis of zinc acetate in air ambient without any catalyst. The obtained ZnO products exhibit well-defined flowerlike morphologies consisting of multilayer petal crystals with tapering feature. High-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and corresponding selected area electron diffraction pattern (SAED) reveal that these petal crystals are single crystal in nature and preferentially oriented in the c-axis direction. Room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra show that all the samples exhibit prominent UV emissions around 376.8 nm and very weak visible emission peaks, which demonstrates that there are few deep-level defects in the single crystal petals of the flowerlike ZnO structures. The growth mechanism of the as-synthesized flowerlike ZnO structures was also discussed.     

Studies on the origins of the absorption spectra in PbWO4 crystal

The electronic structures and absorption spectra for both the perfect PbWO₄ (PWO) crystal and the three types of PWO crystals, containing V_Pb²⁻, V_O²⁺ and a pair of V_Pb²⁻-V_O²⁺, respectively, have been calculated using CASTEP codes with the lattice structure optimized. The calculated absorption spectra indicate that the perfect PWO crystal does not occur absorption band in the visible and near-ultraviolet region. The absorption spectra of the PWO crystal containing V_Pb²⁻ exhibit seven peaks located at 1.72 eV (720 nm), 2.16 eV (570 nm), 2.81 eV (440 nm), 3.01 eV (410 nm), 3.36 eV (365 nm), 3.70 eV (335 nm) and 4.0 eV (310 nm), respectively. The absorption spectra of the PWO crystal containing V_O²⁺ occur two peaks located at 370 nm and 420 nm. The PWO crystal containing a pair of V_Pb²⁻-V_O²⁺ does not occur absorption band in the visible and near-ultraviolet region. This leads to the conclusions that the 370 and 420 nm absorption bands are related to the existence of both V_Pb²⁻ and V_O²⁺ in the PWO crystal and the other absorption bands are related to the existence of the V_Pb²⁻ in the PWO crystal. The existence of the pair of V_Pb²⁻-V_O²⁺ has no visible effects on the optical properties. The calculated polarized optical properties are well consistent with the experimental results.     

Synthesis, characterization, growth mechanism, photoluminescence and field emission properties of novel dandelion-like gallium nitride

Dandelion-like gallium nitride (GaN) microstructures were successfully synthesized via Ni catalyst assisted chemical vapor deposition method at 1200 °C under NH₃ atmosphere by pre-treating precursors with aqueous ammonia. The as-synthesized product was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that as-synthesized dandelion-like GaN was pure and has hexagonal wurtzite structure. SEM results showed that the size of the dandelion-like GaN structure was in the range of 30-60 μm. Dandelion-like GaN microstructures exhibited reasonable field emission properties with the turn-on field of 9.65 V μm⁻¹ (0.01 mA cm⁻²) and threshold field of 11.35 V μm⁻¹ (1 mA cm⁻²) which is sufficient for applications of electron emission devices, field emission displays and vacuum micro electronic devices. Optical properties were studied at room temperature by using fluorescence spectrophotometer. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements of dandelion-like GaN showed a strong near-band-edge emission at 370.2 nm (3.35 eV) with blue band emission at 450.4 nm (2.75 eV) and 465.2 nm (2.66 eV) but with out yellow band emission. The room-temperature photoluminescence properties showed that it has also potential application in light-emitting devices. The tentative growth mechanism for the growth of dandelion-like GaN was also described.     

Room temperature growth and properties of ZnO films by pulsed laser deposition

ZnO thin films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature on glass substrates with oxygen pressures of 10-30 Pa. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of ZnO films were studied in detail. ZnO films had an acceptable crystal quality with high c-axis orientation and smooth surface. The resistivity was in the 10² Ω cm order for ZnO films, with the electron concentration of 10¹⁶-10¹⁷ cm⁻³. All the films showed a high visible transmittance ∼90% and a high UV absorption about 90-100%. The UV emission ∼390 nm was observed in the photoluminescence spectra. The oxygen pressures in the 10-30 Pa range were suitable for room temperature growth of high-quality ZnO films.     

Enhanced photoluminescence of Ar implanted sapphire before and after annealing

In this paper, we studied the changes in the photoluminescence spectra of the Ar⁺ ion implanted mono-crystalline sapphire annealed at different atmospheres and different temperatures. Single crystals of sapphire (Al₂O₃) with the (1 0 1¯ 0) (m-samples) orientation were implanted at 623 K with 110 keV Ar⁺ ions to a fluence of 9.5×10¹⁶ ions/cm². Photoluminescence measurement of the as-implanted sample shows a new emission band at 506 nm, which is attributed to the production of interstitial Al atoms. The intensity of emission band at 506 nm first increased then decreased with increase in annealing temperature. For the same annealing temperature, the intensity of PL peak at 506 nm of the sample annealed in air was higher than the sample annealed in vacuum. The experimental results show that the intensity of the PL peak at 506 nm of Ar-implanted sapphire can be enhanced by subsequent annealing with an enhancement of nearly 20 times. The influence of thermal annealing of the Ar-implanted samples on the new 506 nm emission band was discussed.     

Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of aqueous CdWO4 quantum dots with WO6 luminescence center

Aqueous CdWO₄ QDs were synthesized by the reaction of CdCl₂ and Na₂WO₄ in the presence of mercaptoacetic acid (TGA) as capping reagent. The crystal morphology, particle size and its distribution of as-prepared products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM, SAED) atomic force microscopy (AFM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), respectively. Qualitative assays for functional groups on the QDs’ surface were measured by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Photoluminescence properties of QDs were studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The results showed that the single QD with diameter of about 8 ± 2 nm was single-crystal. The particle size distribution of QDs was normal. Infrared absorption bands of carboxylic group on the surface of CdWO₄ QDs were observed around 1610-1550 cm⁻¹ (nonsymmetrical vibration of -COO⁻) and 1400 cm⁻¹ (symmetric vibration of C-O). With reaction-time going, PL peak position shifted from 498 to 549 nm and intensity of PL increased first and then decreased. PL peak position of QDs was blue-shift compared with 570 nm WO₆⁶⁻ luminescence center of bulk CdWO₄.     

VUV spectroscopy of pure and Tm-doped LicaAlF6 crystals

Nominally pure and Tm³⁺-doped LiCaAlF₆ crystals were grown by the Czochralski technique in a reducing atmosphere. The optical properties of transparent single crystals were studied using absorption and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy in the VUV spectral range (330-100 nm). The strongest VUV emission peaking at 60 800 cm⁻¹ with a decay time of 5.6 μs (7 μs) at 300 K (7.4 K) was assigned to the spin-forbidden 4f¹¹5d-4f¹² transition of Tm³⁺. The fine structure observed in the VUV emission and corresponding excitation spectra indicate intermediate strength of electron-phonon coupling in this system. The efficient excitation of f-f emissions above 72 000 cm⁻¹, higher than the onset of f-d absorption at 63 000 cm⁻¹, is mainly caused by the F⁻ to Tm³⁺ charge transfer absorption. The nature of various host-related excitation processes in the energy transfer to the Tm³⁺ ions is discussed.     

An initial study of the growth and defect analysis on hydrated 2-benzoyl benzoic acid crystal

In the present study, single crystals of hydrated 2-benzoyl benzoic acid were grown by the slow evaporation solution growth method. Single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction studies confirm the triclinic structure of the grown crystals. The defect in crystalline perfection has been defined by rocking curve analysis. The FTIR spectrum of the crystal displays carbonyl stretching of the carboxylic group at 1685 cm^?1 and of keto group at 1661 cm^?1. It shows a merged medium band around 3450 cm^?1 due to OH stretching and does not distinguish clearly between OH of COOH and H₂O held up in the crystal. The existence of additional bands appears at 1590 cm^?1 due to vibration of H₂O in the compound. The photoluminescence excitation studies were carried out for the grown crystals for wide wavelength range between 300 nm and 700 nm at room temperature. The range of percentage of optical absorption of the crystal has been ascertained by UV?vis spectral characterization. The mechanical strength has been determined by Vickers's microhardness measurement for different loads with constant dwell time.     

Crystallization of 21.25Gd2O3-63.75MoO3-15B2O3 glass induced by femtosecond laser at the repetition rate of 250 kHz

We report the formation of β′-Gd₂(MoO₄)₃ (GMO) crystal on the surface of the 21.25Gd₂O₃-63.75MoO₃-15B₂O₃ glass, induced by 250 kHz, 800 nm femtosecond laser irradiation. The morphology of the modified region in the glass was clearly examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). By micro-Raman spectra, the laser-induced crystals were confirmed to be GMO phases and it is found that these crystals have a strong dependence on the number and power of the femtosecond laser pulses. When the irradiation laser power was 900 mW, not only the Raman peaks of GMO crystals but also some new peaks at 214 cm⁻¹, 240 cm⁻¹, 466 cm⁻¹, 664 cm⁻¹ and 994 cm⁻¹which belong to the MoO₃ crystals were observed. The possible mechanisms are proposed to explain these phenomena.     

Effect of annealing temperature on luminescence of Eu ions doped nanocrystal zirconia

Effect of annealing temperature on luminescence of Eu³⁺ ions was studied in nanocrystal zirconia prepared by co-precipitation. The XRDs reveal with annealing temperature increasing the tetragonal crystal phase of the samples is stable. The emission spectra show the strong emission at 595 and 604 nm at 394 nm excitation. Under continuous UV (394 nm) irradiation the 604 nm emission intensity changes of the samples show as a function of irradiation time. In addition, the charge-transfer states of the samples are affected by the annealing temperature. These are associated with the defects at/in the surface of the nanocrystalline ZrO₂ with Eu³⁺ ions.     

Optical spectroscopy, 1.5 μm emission and up-conversion properties of Er-doped Li3Ba2Gd3(MoO4)8 crystal

Er³⁺:Li₃Ba₂Gd₃(MoO₄)₈ crystal has been grown from a melt of Li₂MoO₄ by the top seeded solution growth method (TSSG). The polarized spectral properties of Er³⁺:Li₃Ba₂Gd₃(MoO₄)₈ crystal were investigated and the spectroscopic parameters were calculated and analyzed based on the Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory. The emission cross-sections were calculated by the Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg (F-L) equation and the peak values of the emission band at 1535 nm were 9.7×10⁻²¹, 7.9×10⁻²¹ and 8.4×10⁻²¹ cm² for E∥b, E∥D1 and E∥D2, respectively. Under 977 nm excitation five up-conversion fluorescence bands around 490, 530, 550, 660 and 800 nm were observed, and the possible up-conversion mechanisms were proposed.     

Synthesis, crystal structure and blue electroluminescence of a new zinc complex based on 2,6-bis(benzimidazolyl)pyridine

A very stable and blue luminescent complex Zn(bbp)Cl₂ (bbp: 2,6-bis(benzimidazolyl)pyridine) was synthesized. X-ray crystal structural analysis for the complex revealed that there are intermolecular π?π interactions in the solid state. The fluorescence properties for this complex were studied. The similar devices with the structure of [ITO/CuPc(31 nm)/NPB(80 nm)/[Zn(bbp)Cl₂] (or L) (85 nm)/LiF15/Al] were constructed to investigate their electroluminescent performance. Both the complex and the ligand can be fabricated as blue-emitting materials. The complex shows emission peak at 555 nm, electroluminescent efficiency 0.017 cd A⁻¹ and turn-on voltage 7 V, compared to 470 nm, 0.036 cd A⁻¹ and 9 V for the ligand.