Photoluminescence of polycrystalline cadmium sulfide films at 77 °K

The absorption, reflection, emission, and luminescence spectra of polycrystalline cadmium sulfide films have been studied at 77 deg K at 4500–5500 A. The films were prepared by sublimination of the powder in argon, hydrogen sulfide, or vacuum, followed by crystallization on a heated or unheated substrate.Specimens deposited on substrates below 350 deg C had simple absorption and emission spectra no matter which medium was used, but ones coated on substrates above 350 deg C had absorption, reflection, luminescence, and emission spectra with fine structure, which was due to transitions between the 5s²¹S₀ ground state and 5s5p³P₁, 5s5p³P₂, and 5s5p³P₀ excited states of atomic excess cadmium.Four maxima were found in the excitation spectrum of the blue luminescence (4545, 4605, 4670, and4740 A). The spectrum of the luminescence is independent of exciting wavelength in the range 2200–4900 A.This structure was observed only for films with hexagonal lattice symmetry.     

Blue-excited luminescence of Eu-doped strontium boroaluminate glasses

We report on a blue-excited luminescence phenomenon in Eu²⁺-doped strontium boroaluminate glasses in this paper. The emission wavelengths strongly depend on the B₂O₃ content in the glasses, changing hue from green to yellow. The excitation spectra exhibit a peculiar blue excitation window that the excitation at UV band is strongly depressed and at blue band is enhanced correspondingly. The low emission quantum efficiency in the glasses can be significantly improved by forming a strontium boroaluminate glass-ceramics, accompanying with the window disappearance.     

Luminescence of dense, octahedral structured crystalline silicon dioxide (stishovite)

It is obtained that, as grown, non-irradiated stishovite single crystals possess a luminescence center. Three excimer pulsed lasers (KrF, 248 nm; ArF, 193 nm; F₂, 157 nm) were used for photoluminescence (PL) excitation. Two PL bands were observed. One, in UV range with the maximum at 4.7±0.1 eV with FWHM equal to 0.95±0.1 eV, mainly is seen under ArF laser. Another, in blue range with the maximum at 3±0.2 eV with FWHM equal to 0.8±0.2 eV, is seen under all three lasers. The UV band main fast component of decay is with time constant τ=1.2±0.1 ns for the range of temperatures 16-150 K. The blue band decay possesses fast and slow components. The fast component of the blue band decay is about 1.2 ns. The slow component of the blue band well corresponds to exponent with time constant equal to 17±1 μs within the temperature range 16-200 K. deviations from exponential decay were observed as well and explained by influence of nearest interstitial OH groups on the luminescence center. The UV band was not detected for F₂ laser excitation. For the case of KrF laser only a structure less tail up to 4.6 eV was detected. Both the UV and the blue bands were also found in recombination process with two components having characteristic time about 1 and 60 μs. For blue band recombination luminescence decay is lasting to ms range of time with power law decay ∼t⁻¹.For the case of X-ray excitation the luminescence intensity exhibits strong drop down above 100 K. such an effect does not take place in the case of photoexcitation with lasers. The activation energies for both cases are different as well. Average value of that is 0.03±0.01 eV for the case of X-ray luminescence and it is 0.15±0.05 eV for the case of PL. So, the processes of thermal quenching are different for these kinds of excitation and, probably, are related to interaction of the luminescence center with OH groups.Stishovite crystal irradiated with pulses of electron beam (270 kV, 200 A, 10 ns) demonstrates a decrease of luminescence intensity excited with X-ray. So, irradiation with electron beam shows on destruction of luminescent defects.The nature of luminescence excited in the transparency range of stishovite is ascribed to a defect existing in the crystal after growth. Similarity of the stishovite luminescence with that of oxygen deficient silica glass and induced by radiation luminescence of α-quartz crystal presumes similar nature of centers in those materials.     

Anomalous thermal quenching of luminescence in ZnS:Cu phosphor crystals

We studied the thermal quenching of luminescence (TQL) in the case of photoexcitation (PE, _e=313 and 365 nm) and cathodoexcitation (CE) with a high excitation density (10¹⁸ cm^–3· sec^–1) in ZnS:Cu single crystals with various degrees of copper supersaturation, EL-455 and K-83 copper-activated powders, and ZnSCu epitaxial thin films. Our study of TQL in the blue and green bands showed that two types of quenching anomalies are observed in the specimens used. An anomaly of the first type manifests itself in the fact that, with band-to-band excitation (_e = 313 nm and CE). the green band is quenched earlier than the blue band and small steps are observed on the quenching front. This anomaly is explained with the aid of a dislocation model of the blue center. An anomaly of the second type is observed in specimens not supersaturated with copper and consists of the quenching of luminescence beginning earlier at a high excitation (CE) density than at a low excitation (PE) density and proceeds in the same way in the blue and green bands. The thermal depths of the acceptors level are estimated from TQL for the three fundamental luminescence bands 440, 468, and 525 nm which are equal to 0.38 ±0.05, 0.7–0.8, and 0.9–1 eV, respectively.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 38–43, July, 1979.     

Luminescence properties of spark-processed Si in air, O2, and N2 with low pressure

This paper reports the luminescence properties of spark-processed Si (sp-Si) prepared with different atmospheres such as air, O₂, and N₂ in low vacuum range (50-760 Torr). Three main luminescence bands are observed from spark-processed Si (sp-Si). In addition to the well-known two luminescence bands in the blue/violet peaking at 410 nm and green peaking at 500 nm, a novel UV luminescence band is detected for the sp-Si prepared in N₂. The temperature dependence of photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of the newly detected UV luminescence band is examined. Further studies of photoluminescence excitation (PLE) have been performed and origins of luminescence are discussed based on the experimental results.     

Upconverted VUV luminescence of Nd and Er doped into LiYF4 crystals under XeF-laser excitation

The upconverted VUV (185 nm) and UV (230 and 260 nm) luminescence due to 5d-4f radiative transitions in Nd³⁺ ions doped into a LiYF₄ crystal has been obtained under excitation by 351/353 nm radiation from a XeF excimer laser. The maximum upconversion efficiency, defined as the ratio of intensity for 5d-4f luminescence to overall intensity for 5d-4f and 4f-4f luminescence from the ⁴D_3/2 Nd³⁺ level, has been estimated to be about 70% under optimal focusing conditions for XeF laser radiation. A redistribution of intensity between three main components of 5d-4f Nd³⁺ luminescence is observed under changing the excitation power density, which favors the most long-wavelength band (260 nm) at higher excitation density level. The effect is interpreted as being due to excited state absorption of radiation emitted. The upconverted VUV and UV luminescence from the high-lying ²F(2)_7/2 4f level of Er³⁺ doped into a LiYF₄ crystal has also been obtained under XeF-laser excitation the most intense line being at 280 nm from the spin-allowed transition to the ²H(2)_11/2 4f level of Er³⁺, but the efficiency of upconversion for Er³⁺ emission is low, less than 5%.     

Emerging blue‐UV luminescence in cerium doped YAG nanocrystals

Time‐resolved luminescence properties of Ce³⁺ doped Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG) nanocrystals have been studied by means of vacuum‐ultraviolet excitation spectroscopy. It was discovered that additionally to the regular Ce³⁺ yellow‐green emission which is well‐known luminescence in YAG, new emission covering a broad spectral range from 2.7 eV to 3.5 eV was revealed in the luminescence spectra for all YAG:Ce nanocrystals studied. This blue‐UV emission has fast decay time about 7 ns as well as intensive well‐resolved excitation band peaking at 5.9 eV and, in contrast to green Ce³⁺ emission, practically is not excited at higher energies. The origin of the blue‐UV emission is tentatively suggested and discussed. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Thermo-and photostimulated luminescence of CaI2: Tl and CaI2: Pb crystals

Thermo-and photostimulated luminescence of CaI₂: Tl and CaI₂: Pb scintillation crystals under optical and X-ray excitation is studied. It is shown on the basis of the results obtained with account for the data of studies of photo-and X-ray-luminescent properties of these scintillators that Tl⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions form complex capture centers with host defects. These centers are responsible for the thermostimulated luminescence in the temperature range of 150–295 K, and the centers of charge carrier trapping are spatially separated from the centers of recombination emission. An assumption is made that thermo-and photostimulated luminescence of CaI₂: Tl and CaI₂: Pb crystals under optical excitation is observed mainly due to the delocalization of charge carriers from hydrogen-containing centers responsible for the excitation band at 236 nm and the photoluminescence of CaI₂ with a maximum at 395 nm. The luminescence of CaI₂: Tl crystals in the 510-nm band and CaI₂: Pb crystals in the 530-nm band is determined by the radiative decay of near-activator excitons.     

Electrical properties and emission mechanisms of Zn-doped β-Ga2O3 films

We study the electrical properties and emission mechanisms of Zn-doped β-Ga₂O₃ film grown by pulsed laser deposition through Hall effect and cathodoluminescence which consist of ultraviolet luminescence (UV), blue luminescence (BL) and green luminescence (GL) bands. The Hall effect measurements indicate that the carrier concentration increases from 7.16×10¹¹ to 6.35×10¹² cm⁻³ with increasing a nominal Zn content from 3 to 7 at%. The UV band at 272 nm is not attributed to Zn dopants and ascribed as radiative electron transition from conduction band to a self-trapped hole while the BL band is attributable to defect level related to Zn dopant. The BL band has two emission peaks at 415 and 455 nm, which are ascribed to the radiative electron transition from oxygen vacancy (V_O) to valence band and recombination of a donor–acceptor pair (DAP) between V_O donor and Zn on Ga site (Zn_Ga) acceptor, respectively. The GL band is attributed to the phonon replicas’ emission of the DAP. The acceptor level of Zn_Ga is estimated to be 0.26 eV above the valence band maximum. The transmittance and absorption spectra prove that the Zn-doped β-Ga₂O₃ film is a dominantly direct bandgap material. The results of Hall and cathodoluminescence measurements imply that the Zn dopant in β-Ga₂O₃ film will form an acceptor Zn_Ga to produce p-type conductivity.     

Luminescence channels of manganese-doped spinel

Two independent luminescence channels are observed from manganese-doped spinel Mn:MgAl₂O₄. The luminescence around 520 nm is assigned to transition from the lowest electronic excited state ⁴T₁ to the ground state ⁶A₁ of Mn²⁺ (3d)⁵ ion by analyzing the excitation spectrum and electron spin resonance measurement. The emission at 650 nm is triggered by the band edge excitation and is assigned similarly to the charge-transfer process associated with the manganese ion.     

Characterization of the VUV excitation spectrum of BaZr(BO3)2:Eu

The excitation spectra of M (M=Si⁴⁺, Ti⁴⁺) and Eu³⁺ co-doped BaZr(BO₃)₂, BaZrO₃:Eu and La₂Zr₂O₇:Eu in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) regions of 110-300 nm are investigated and the host-lattice absorption are characterized. The result indicated that BaZr(BO₃)₂:Eu³⁺ phosphor has a strong absorption under the VUV excitation, and in the host-lattice excitation, the strong band at 130-160 nm could be due to the BO₃ atomic groups; the band at 160-180 nm is related to the excitation of Ba-O; 180-200 nm corresponds to the charge transfer (CT) transition of Zr-O. The band at 200-235 nm due to the CT band of Eu³⁺-O²⁻ and a bond valence study explained the observed weak CT band of Eu³⁺-O²⁻ in the excitation spectra of BaZr(BO₃)₂:Eu³⁺. The emission results show that Si⁴⁺ can sensitize luminescence in the host of BaZr(BO₃)₂:Eu but Ti⁴⁺ has no improvement effect on luminescence.     

Mechanism of photoluminescence excitation of Mn<Superscript>2+</Superscript> ions in ZnS crystals

The mechanisms of photoluminescence excitation of Mn²⁺ ions in ZnS crystals have been investigated on the basis of complex analysis of the temperature dependences of the photoluminescence and photoluminescence-excitation spectra of ZnS:Mn crystals. The activation energy of a manganese luminescence center was estimated at E_a = 0.17 ± 0.05 eV. It is shown that E_a represents an energy band with a width ΔE_a = 0.1 eV, within which a manganese luminescence center can experience radiationless recombination. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 72, No. 6, pp. 788–793, November–December, 2005.     

Cr-related centers in Gd3Ga5O12 polycrystals

The luminescence excitation spectra, emission spectra under photo- and X-ray excitation, luminescence decay kinetics and thermostimulated luminescence (TSL) of Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ garnet (GGG) polycrystalline samples have been investigated. It was established that the spectrum of Cr³⁺ ion emission were present in all TSL peaks. The activation energies of traps that are responsible for appearance of TSL in the region 295-600 K were estimated. It is shown that delocalization of electrons from the Cr³⁺e traps leads to the appearance of thermoluminescence (TL) glow peak at 390 K. The nature of other TSL peaks is discussed. The influence of visible light on the TSL intensity of the preliminary X-ray-irradiated samples is shown.     

Spectral and kinetic characteristics of CdI<Subscript>2</Subscript> and CdI<Subscript>2</Subscript>:Pb scintillators

We have studied the effect of lead dopant on the optical absorption, photoluminescence, and x-ray luminescence spectra, and the scintillation characteristics of CdI₂ at room temperature. The crystals for the study were grown by the Stockbarger-Bridgman method. Activation of CdI₂ from the melt by the compound PbI₂ leads to the appearance in the absorption spectra in the near-edge region of an activator band at 395–405 nm, which is interpreted as an A band connected with electronic transitions from the ¹S₀ state to the ³P₁ levels in the Pb²⁺ ion. For x-ray excitation, CdI₂:Pb²⁺ crystals with optimal dopant concentration (∼1.0 mol%) are characterized by a light yield with maximum in the 570–580 nm region that is an order of magnitude higher than for CdI₂ crystals in the 490–500 nm band. For α excitation, the radioluminescence kinetics for cadmium iodide is characterized by a very short (∼0.3 nsec) rise time and fast decay of luminescence, with τ₁ ≈ 4 nsec and τ₂ = 10–76 nsec. Depending on the conditions under which the crystals were obtained, the fast component fraction is 95%–99%. The crystal is characterized by a similar scintillation pulse in the case of excitation by x-ray pulses. The radioluminescence pulse shape for CdI₂:Pb in the decay stage is predominantly exponential, with luminescence decay time constants τ₁ ≈ 10 nsec and τ₂ = 200–250 nsec. This system is characterized by low afterglow, at the level for the Bi₄G₃O₁₂ scintillator. We have demonstrated the feasibility of using CdI₂:Pb as a scintillator for detecting α particles. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 75, No. 6, pp. 825–830, November–December, 2008.     

Photoluminescence studies of NaCaPO4:RE (RE=Dy, Mn or Gd)

The purpose of the present study is to develop an understanding of photoluminescence properties of Dy³⁺, Mn²⁺ or Gd³⁺doped NaCaPO₄ phosphors, which have served as efficient phosphors in many industrial applications. The phase formation was confirmed by the X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) measurement. Photoluminescence (PL) excitation spectrum measurement of NaCaPO₄:Dy³⁺ shows this phosphor can be efficiently excited by near-ultraviolet (UV) light from 300 to 400 nm and presents dominant luminescence band centered at 480 nm (blue) and 573 nm (yellow). The PL excitation of NaCaPO₄:Mn²⁺ and Gd³⁺ under UV wavelength shows the emissions at 520 and 313 nm, respectively. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows an average crystallite size in sub-micrometer range. The obtained results show that the phosphors have the potential for application in the lamp industry and medical applications.     

KBaPO4:Ln (Ln=Eu, Tb, Sm) phosphors for UV excitable white light-emitting diodes

This letter reports the novel three emission bands based on phosphate host matrix, KBaPO₄ doped with Eu²⁺, Tb³⁺, and Sm³⁺ for white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The phosphors were synthesized by solid-state reaction and thermal stability was elucidated by measuring photoluminescence at higher temperatures. Eu²⁺-doped KBaPO₄ phosphor emits blue luminescence with a peak wavelength at 420 nm under maximum near-ultraviolet excitation of 360 nm. Tb³⁺-doped KBaPO₄ phosphor emits green luminescence with a peak wavelength at 540 nm under maximum near-ultraviolet excitation of 370 nm. Sm³⁺-doped KBaPO₄ phosphor emits orange-red luminescence with a peak wavelength at 594 nm under maximum near-ultraviolet excitation of 400 nm. The thermal stabilities of KBaPO₄:Ln (Ln=Eu²⁺, Tb³⁺, Sm³⁺), in comparison to commercially available YAG:Ce³⁺ phosphor were found to be higher in a wide temperature range of 25-300 °C.     

Up-conversion emission in triply-doped Ho/Yb/Tm KGd(WO4)2 single crystals

Detailed spectroscopic studies of the triply doped KGd(WO₄)₂:Ho³⁺/Yb³⁺/Tm³⁺ single crystals (which exhibit multicolor up-conversion fluorescence) are reported for the first time. The absorption spectra of crystals were measured at 10 and 300 K; the room temperature luminescence spectra were excited at 980 nm wavelength. The dependence of the intensity of luminescence on the excitation power for three different concentration of Ho³⁺, Yb³⁺ and Tm³⁺ ions was investigated. Efficient green and red up-converted luminescence of Ho³⁺ ions and weak blue up-conversion luminescence of Tm³⁺ ions were observed in spectra. The red emission of Ho³⁺ ions is more intensive than their green emission. Dependence of the up-conversion luminescence intensity on the excitation power and impurities concentration was also studied; the number of phonon needed for efficient up-conversion was determined for each case. All possible energy transfer processes between different pairs of the impurity ions' energy levels are also discussed.     

A red oxide phosphor, Sr2ScAlO5:Eu2+ with perovskite-type structure, for white light-emitting diodes

Sr2ScAlO5:Eu2+,a red oxide phosphor with a perovskite-type structure,has been synthesized through a solid-state reaction and its luminescence properties have been investigated.An absorption band centering at 450 nm is observed from the diffuse reflection spectra and the excitation spectra,indicating that the phosphor can match perfectly with the blue light of InGaN light-emitting diodes.A broad red emission band at 620 nm is found from the emission spectra,originating from the 4f 6 5d-4f 7 transition of the Eu 2+ ions.The best doping content of Eu in this material is about 5%.Sr2ScAlO5:Eu2+is a highly promising red phosphor for use in white light-emitting diodes.     

Infrared and visible spectroscopic studies of the ytterbium doped borate Li6Y(BO3)3

The spectroscopic study of trivalent ytterbium doped Li₆Y(BO₃)₃ is conducted in the UV-visible and infrared range. An excitation in the charge transfer band of ytterbium has been selected in order to reduce the reabsorption effect on the IR emission intensity. The maximum of the emission is located at 972 nm for an excitation at 230 nm. The energy level assignment has been successfully conducted using vibrational spectroscopy to distinguish the pure electronic transitions from the phonon-assisted ones. The splitting of the ²F_5/2 and ²F_7/2 components is equal to 523 cm⁻¹ and 676 cm⁻¹, respectively. The decay time dependence as a function of the concentration is also reported. The calculated value τ_rad is about (1.03 ± 0.01) ms for the 1% doped material. For the highest concentration, an IR excitation gives rise to the observation of a blue-green luminescence caused by two mechanisms: an erbium emission at 550 nm after upconversion and a cooperative luminescence of ytterbium ions.     

Photoluminescence properties of thenardite activated with Eu

Na₂SO₄:Eu phosphors were prepared by heating pure natural thenardite with EuF₃ at 900 °C for 20 min in air. The photoluminescence (PL) and excitation spectra of as-prepared and γ-ray-irradiated phosphors were observed at 300 K. The PL spectrum under 394 nm excitation consisted of strong narrow bands with peaks at 579, 592, 616, 652, 697 and 741 nm, assigned to the ⁵D₀→⁷F_J (J=0, 1, 2, …, 5) transitions, respectively, within Eu³⁺. The PL spectrum under 340 nm excitation consisted of a broad Eu²⁺ band with a peak at 435 nm. The excitation spectrum obtained by monitoring the violet luminescence consisted of a weak band with a peak at approximately 261 nm and a broad Eu²⁺ band with a peak at approximately 338 nm. The relative efficiency of the violet luminescence of the γ-ray-irradiated phosphor at the exposure of 46 kGy increased up to 3.0 times that of the unirradiated phosphor. The enhancement of violet luminescence by γ-ray irradiation was ascribed to the conversion of Eu³⁺ to Eu²⁺ in Na₂SO₄.