Nephelauxetic effect for the isoelectronic 3d-ions (Cr, Mn, Fe) in SrTiO3

The exchange charge model of crystal field theory has been used to analyze systematically the ground state absorption spectra of isoelectronic Cr³⁺, Mn⁴⁺, and Fe⁵⁺ ions in an octahedral coordination in the SrTiO₃ crystal. The parameters of the crystal field acting on the valence electrons of impurity ions are calculated from the available crystal structure data. A special attention is paid to the analysis of dependencies of the crystal field invariants and covalence effects on the impurity ion. It is shown numerically that the covalence effects between the above impurity ions and ligands increase with an increase of the 3d-ion oxidation state.     

A complex first-principles study of the L2,3-edge XANES spectra and crystal field effects for divalent 3d ions in cubic ZnS

A detailed first-principles analysis of the L_2,3 X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra, crystal field strength 10Dq, covalent effects and molecular orbitals (MO) position for all divalent 3d ions from Sc²⁺ to Cu²⁺ in cubic ZnS is performed in the present paper. The calculations were done in the framework of the first-principles fully relativistic discrete variational multi-electron (DVME) based on numerical solution of the Dirac equation with the local density approximation. As a result of the performed calculations, the L_2,3 XANES spectra for all considered ions were calculated and assigned in terms of the electron configurations involved into the absorption transitions; fairly good agreement with available experimental data for Ti²⁺, Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ is demonstrated. Experimental XANES spectra for Sc²⁺, V²⁺, Cr²⁺, Cu²⁺ not reported previously were also calculated for the sake of completeness of the present study to enable a systematic analysis of all calculated results for the whole series considered. It was shown that the L₃ and L₂ bands shift to the higher energies on increasing a 3d ion atomic number. In addition, the separation between the L₃ and L₂ bands, the crystal field strength 10Dq and mixture between the 3d ion and sulfur wave functions increase along the considered series, from Sc²⁺ to Cu²⁺. On the other hand, all orbitals of the 3d ions systematically lower down in the same direction. The above formulated trends were confirmed by the experimental data on the crystal field splittings and nephelauxetic effect.     

Investigations of EPR Parameters of MgTiO3:Cr3+, SrTiO3:Cr3+, and SrTiO3:Mn4+ Crystals

Complete high-order perturbation formulas are established based on charge-transfer (CT) and crystal-field (CF) mechanisms. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) g-factors of MgTiO₃:Cr³⁺, SrTiO₃:Cr³⁺, and SrTiO₃:Mn⁴⁺ crystals are calculated from the formulas. The calculations of the EPR g-factors agree well with the experimental values. The contribution rate of the CT mechanism to EPR parameters increases with increasing valence state of the 3d ⁿ ions in the crystals. For the higher-valence state 3d ³ Mn⁴⁺ ion in the crystals, the elucidation of the EPR parameters rationally involves both CF and CT mechanisms.     

Studies of EPR g factors of the isoelectronic 3d series Cr, Mn and Fe in SrTiO3 crystals

The g-shifts Δg(=g−g_s, where g_s≈2.0023 is the free-ion value) of the isoelectronic 3d³ series Cr³⁺, Mn⁴⁺ and Fe⁵⁺ in SrTiO₃ crystals are calculated from the high-order perturbation formula based on the cluster approach for 3d³ ion in cubic octahedral site. The formula includes not only the contribution from the crystal-field (CF) mechanism, but also that from the charge-transfer (CT) mechanism (which is omitted in the CF theory). From the calculations, it is found that the contribution Δg_CT from the CT mechanism in sign is contrary to the corresponding Δg_CF from the CF mechanism and the relative importance of CT mechanism (characterized by |Δg_CT/Δg_CF|) increases with the increasing valence state (and hence the atomic number) of 3d³ ion. The positive g-shift Δg of SrTiO₃:Fe⁵⁺ is due mainly to the contribution of CT mechanism. So, for the explanations of g factors of the high valence state 3dⁿ ions (e.g. Mn⁴⁺ and Fe⁵⁺) in crystals, the contributions from both CF and CT mechanisms should be taken into account.     

EPR, luminescence and IR studies of Mn activated ZnGa2O4 phosphor

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), luminescence and infrared spectra of Mn²⁺ ions doped in zinc gallate (ZnGa₂O₄) powder phosphor have been studied. The EPR spectra have been recorded for zinc gallate phosphor doped with different concentrations of Mn²⁺ ions. The EPR spectra exhibit characteristic spectrum of Mn²⁺ ions (S=I=5/2) with a sextet hyperfine pattern, centered at g_eff=2.00. At higher concentrations of Mn²⁺ ions, the intensity of the resonance signals decreases. The number of spins participating in the resonance has been measured as a function of temperature and the activation energy (E_a) is calculated. The EPR spectra of ZnGa₂O₄: Mn²⁺ have been recorded at various temperatures. From the EPR data, the paramagnetic susceptibility (χ) at various temperatures, the Curie constant (C) and the Curie temperature (θ) have been evaluated. The emission spectrum of ZnGa₂O₄: Mn²⁺ (0.08 mol%) exhibits two bands centered at 468 and 502 nm. The band observed at 502 nm is attributed to ⁴T₁→⁶A₁ transition of Mn²⁺ ions. The band observed at 468 nm is attributed to the trap-state transitions. The excitation spectrum exhibits two bands centered at 228 and 280 nm. The strong band at 228 nm is attributed to host-lattice absorption and the weak band at 280 nm is attributed to the charge-transfer absorption or d⁵→d⁴s transition band. The observed bands in the FT-IR spectrum are assigned to the stretching vibrations of M-O groups at octahedral and tetrahedral sites.     

Interpretation of charge transfer bands in Fe doped SrTiO3 crystals

The electronic structures of SrTiO₃ crystals doped with Fe³⁺, Fe⁴⁺ and Fe⁵⁺ ions have been investigated using the Xα cluster approach. The ground-state eigenvalues show the lower Fe acceptor level, of t_2g↓ symmetry, localized inside the SrTiO₃ band gap, respectively at 2.8 eV $\text{(}\text{Fe}{}^{\mathrm{3+}}\text{, S =}\text{5}\text{2}\text{), 1.6}\text{eV}\text{(}\text{Fe}{}^{\mathrm{4+}}\text{, S = 1)}\text{or}\text{1.1}\text{eV}\text{(}\text{Fe}{}^{\mathrm{4+}}\text{, S = 0)}\text{and}\text{1.1}\text{eV}\text{(}\text{Fe}{}^{\mathrm{5+}}\text{, S =}\text{3}\text{2}\text{)}$ above the valence band edge. Other acceptor levels, with eg↓ and eg↑ symmetries, appear inside the gap when the Fe nominal ionicity increases.The theoretical Xα excitation energies of O 2p-Fe 3d transitions confirms the experimental interpretations of acceptor charge transfer bands for the optical absorption spectra of SrTiO₃:Fe⁴⁺ and SrTiO₃:Fe⁵⁺ crystals.The large optical excitation energies compared with the thermal transitions are partly due to the O 2p band width.     

Comparative first-principles analysis of the absorption spectra of ZnAl2S4 and ZnGa2O4 crystals doped with Cr3+

Systematic first-principles analysis of the energy level schemes and ground state absorption spectra of trivalent chromium in ZnAl₂S₄ and ZnGa₂O₄ crystals has been performed in the present paper. The recently developed first-principles approach to the analysis of the absorption spectra of impurity ions in crystals based on the discrete variational multi-electron (DV-ME) method [K. Ogasawara et al., Phys. Rev. B 64, 115413 (2001)] was used in the calculations. The method is based on the numerical solution of the Dirac equation; no phenomenological parameters are used in the calculations. As a result, complete energy level schemes of the Cr³⁺ ion and its absorption spectra in both crystals were calculated, assigned and compared with experimental data. By performing analysis of the molecular orbital (MO) population, it was shown that the covalency of the chemical bonds between the Cr³⁺ and S^2- ions is more significant than that one between the Cr³⁺ and O^2- ions.     

Optical characterization of the phosphate glasses containing pair transition ions

The paper deals with optical and electronic properties of the aluminophosphate glasses containing Fe–Mn and Fe–Cr ion pairs in different concentration. The influence of the mixed alkali ions over the electronic properties has been investigated. The optical behavior (optical transmission) of the glass samples has been studied by UV-VIS spectroscopy and the refractive index dependency on wavelength has been discussed. The transmission spectra show features specific for the doping transition ions (TM), revealing different oxidation states of iron (Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺), manganese (Mn²⁺/Mn³⁺) and chromium (Cr³⁺/Cr⁶⁺) in the vitreous network. Mössbauer spectroscopy offers information regarding the TM oxidation states, redox processes and the iron coordination symmetry in the vitreous network. In the case of Fe–Mn doped glasses, the percentage of Fe²⁺ is about 40% and a doubled iron content leads to an increasing of Fe²⁺ percentage up to 53%. The replacing of lithium ions by natrium ions (mixed alkali effect) provides an increasing of the Fe²⁺ percentage up to 56%. The occurrence of the tetrahedral or octahedral symmetry of Fe²⁺ ions bonded by O^2? ions depends on the transition ion nature and Li⁺/Na⁺ ratio. Infrared absorption spectra of the pair transition ions-doped aluminophosphate glasses reveal optical phonons specific for the phosphate glass matrix.     

Spectroscopic investigations on ZnF2-MO-TeO2 (MO=ZnO, CdO and PbO) glasses doped with chromium ions

Differential scanning calorimetric studies, spectroscopic studies (viz., optical absorption, ESR, infrared spectra) and thermoluminescence studies of ZnF₂-MO-TeO₂ (MO=ZnO, CdO and PbO) glasses doped with different concentrations of chromium ions have been investigated. Results have been analyzed in the light of different oxidation states of chromium ion. The analysis indicates chromium ions mostly exist in Cr³⁺ state in ZT, CT and PT glasses when Cr₂O₃ is present upto 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively; these ions seems to be present in Cr⁶⁺ state that take part network forming positions with CrO₄²⁻ structural groups in all the three glasses when the concentration of Cr₂O₃ is greater than the above quantities. Quenching of thermoluminescence light output of the glasses has been observed with increase in Cr₂O₃ concentration upto 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively in ZT, CT and PT glasses. This has been identified due to the killing effect of Cr³⁺ ions. Further it has also been concluded that ZnF₂-PbO-TeO₂ is more favourable glass network for the presence of large concentration of laser-emitting Cr³⁺ ions, among the three glass series studied.     

New spectroscopic results of trivalent chromium in magnesium gallate

Cr³⁺ centers in MgGa₂O₄ powder samples are investigated by excitation and emission spectroscopic measurements at 4.2, 77 and 300 K. The ²E(²G)→⁴A₂ (⁴F) and ⁴T₂(⁴F)→⁴A₂(⁴F) electronic transitions are observed in the red and infrared regions and associated with chromium trivalent ions in octahedral sites. The results show that the material presents both high and intermediate crystal fields for these ions. The crystal-field parameter, Dq, and Racah parameters, B and C, are determined from the measurements.     

EPR study of the impurity paramagnetic centres in (CaO−Ga2O3−GeO2) glasses

The X-band EPR spectra of Cr³⁺, Mn²⁺, and Fe³⁺ impurity ions in glasses of (CaO?Ga₂O₃?GeO₂) system are investigated in the 77÷300 K temperature range. The experimental data analysis yields the following results: (i) Impurity chromium ions are incorporated into the (CaO?Ga₂O₃?GeO₂) glasses network in Cr³⁺ (3d³,⁴F_3/2) paramagnetic valence state only and occupy the strong distorted oxygen coordinated octahedral sites. (ii) For all activated and non-activated (CaO?Ga₂O₃?GeO₂) glasses the iron impurity is present at concentration roughly 0.01 wt.%. Isotropic EPR signals atg _eff=4.29 andg _eff=2.00 are assigned to Fe³⁺ (3d⁵,⁶S_5/2) ions in the sites with strong rhombic distortion and in the sites with nearly cubic symmetry respectively. (iii) The manganese EPR spectrum in (CaO?Ga₂O₃?GeO₂) glasses is weakly dependent on temperature, doping procedure as well as manganese concentration. EPR spectra of impurity manganese ions in glasses with Ca₃Ga₂Ge₃O₁₂ and Ca₃Ga₂Ge₄O₁₄ compositions are virtually identical and belong to Mn²⁺ (3d⁵,⁶S_5/2) ions. Impurity manganese ions are incorporated into the (CaO?Ga₂O₃?GeO₂) glass network as isolated Mn²⁺ centres and clusters of Mn²⁺ ions.     

Spectroscopic studies on Fe and Mn doped SrB4O7 glasses

EPR and optical absorption studies on Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ doped strontium tetraborate (SrB₄O₇) glasses are carried out at room temperature. The EPR spectrum of the Fe³⁺ doped glass consists of signals with g-values 9.04, 4.22 and 2.04, whereas the EPR spectrum of Mn²⁺ doped glass exhibits a characteristic hyperfine sextet around g=2.0. The spectroscopic analyses of the obtained results confirmed distorted octahedral site symmetry for the Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ impurity ions. Crystal field and Racah parameters evaluated from optical absorption spectra are: Dq=790, B=700 and C=3000 cm⁻¹ for Fe³⁺doped glass and Dq=880, B=700 and C=2975 cm⁻¹ for Mn²⁺ doped glass.     

Tetragonal distortions of the octahedral environments of Cr3+, Fe3+ and Gd3+ ions in A2CdF4 (A = Rb,Cs) and ACdF3 crystals

Abstract

The tetragonal distortions of local octahedral environments of Cr³⁺, Fe³⁺ and Gd³⁺ ions in Rb₂CdF₄, Cs₂CdF₄, RbCdF₃ and CsCdF₃ crystals have been studied by analyzing their EPR spectra. From the studies, it is found that the tetragonal distortions for Cr³⁺ and Fe³⁺ impurity ions, which substitute Cd²⁺ and have nearly the same ionic radius, are close to each other, whereas that for Gd³⁺ impurity ion, having a larger ionic radius, is larger than those for Cr³⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions in the same crystal. It appears that not only the impurity-ligand distance, but also the tetragonal distortions of impurity centres in crystals are closely related to the size of impurity.     

Influence of chemical bond length changes on the crystal field strength and “ligand-metal” charge transfer transitions in Cs2GeF6 doped with Mn and Os ions

Detailed study of dependence of the crystal field strength 10Dq and lowest charge transfer (CT) energies for different interionic distances in Cs₂GeF₆:Mn⁴⁺ and Cs₂GeF₆:Os⁴⁺crystals is presented. The calculations were performed using the first-principles discrete-variational Dirac-Slater (DV-DS) method. As a result, the functional dependencies of 10Dq and lowest CT energy on the metal-ligand distance R were obtained without any fitting or semiempirical parameters. It was shown that 10Dq depends on R as 1/Rⁿ, with n=4.0612 and 4.3874 for Cs₂GeF₆:Mn⁴⁺ and Cs₂GeF₆:Os⁴⁺, respectively. Two approximations (linear and quadratic) are obtained for the dependence of the lowest CT energy on R; CT energy decreases when R increases with dE(CT)/dR=−638 and −1080 cm⁻¹/pm for Cs₂GeF₆:Mn⁴⁺ and Cs₂GeF₆:Os⁴⁺, respectively, if the linear approximation is used. These values can be used for estimations of the lowest CT energies for Mn⁴⁺ and Os⁴⁺ ions in other hosts with fluorine ligands. Estimations of the electron-vibrational interaction (EVI) constants, Huang-Rhys parameters, and Stokes shifts for all the above-mentioned crystals were performed using the obtained 10Dq and E(CT) functions.     

Optical properties of 3d-ions doped RbCdF3. Radiation effects

Abstract

The optical properties of RbCdF₃ crystals doped with Cr³⁺, Mn²⁺ and Ni²⁺ have been studied. Absorption and photoluminescence spectra correspond to these ions in an octahedral environment. The lifetimes of the emitting levels have been measured at different temperatures. Single exponential decays are obtained for Mn²⁺ and Ni²⁺ while a non-exponential decay is found in the case of Cr³⁺. Radiation effects have also been studied. A new absorption band is produced in the 305 nm region by RT X-irradiation. Exciting with light in this band the 3d-ions emissions are observed.     

Spectroscopic and crystal field studies of (Ce,Gd)Sc3 (BO3)4:Cr crystals

Complex spectroscopic studies of (Ce,Gd)Sc₃(BO₃)₄:Cr³⁺ (CSB:Cr³⁺) crystals (crystal growth, absorption and luminescence spectroscopy, crystal field calculations, analysis of the radiative and non-radiative decays) are presented. The main results of the paper include calculations of crystal field parameters and energy level scheme for Cr³⁺ at distorted octahedral Sc³⁺ sites, evaluation of the Huang-Rhys factor, effective phonon frequency, zero-phonon line energy, and parameters of radiative and non-radiative decays. Comparison with experimental results and other literature data is discussed. A very unusual value of the frequency factor (related to the non-radiative processes) is explained as being due to heterodesmic nature of chemical bonds in the CSB crystal. Cr³⁺-doped CSB crystals (with Cr³⁺ concentration 5.1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ or 1%) are suggested as promising candidates for potential applications as active media for solid state lasers.     

Mössbauer study of spin-spin relaxation of Fe3+ ions in the presence of other paramagnetic ions

Mössbauer spectroscopy has been used to study the influence of paramagnetic ions, viz. Cu²⁺, Cr³⁺, Co²⁺ Mn²⁺, Gd³⁺ and Dy³⁺ on the spin-spin relaxation time of Fe³⁺ ions in amorphous frozen aqueous solutions. It is found that these ions shorten the relaxation time, but the effect is much smaller than suggested earlier on the basis of measurements of relaxation of Fe³⁺ in an α-Al₂O₃ matrix. It is also found that S-state ions have a greater influence on the relaxation time than other paramagnetic ions. The spectra obtained in presence of S-state impurity ions could only be fitted by allowing the individual transition probabilities to vary independently.     

Crystal field and exchange interactions in the SmFe3(BO3)4 multiferroic

The optical spectra of oriented SmFe₃(BO₃)₄ single crystals are studied in the region of the f-f transitions in the Sm³⁺ ion by Fourier spectroscopy. The energies, the symmetry properties, and the exchange splittings of the Stark sublevels of the ground and 17 excited multiplets of the Sm³⁺ ion in a crystal field of symmetry D ₃ are determined from the measured temperature dependences of polarized-radiation absorption spectra. The parameters of the crystal field acting on samarium ions and the parameters of the exchange interaction between Sm³⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions are found. The anisotropy of the effective exchange interaction is shown to be substantially stronger than the magnetic anisotropy, due to a strong crystal-field-induced mixing of the ground and excited multiplets.     

Cr<Superscript>3+</Superscript> spectroscopy study in ZnO-codoped and Zn-in-diffused congruent LiNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript>:Cr crystals

This paper reports on the spectroscopy properties, absorption and luminescence, of Cr³⁺ ions in singly doped, ZnO-codoped, and Zn in-diffused LiNbO₃:Cr crystals. In addition to the broad absorption, inter-ionic transitions ascribed to Cr³⁺ ions located in Li⁺ and Nb⁵⁺ sites; [Cr]_Li and [Cr]_Nb centres two absorption bands at higher energy are reported and ascribed to the charge transfer transitions of the Cr³⁺ ions of the two defect centres. The charge transfer transitions are used as optical probe to study the role of the Zn ions in the Zn in-diffused LiNbO₃:Cr samples. It has been observed that the Zn-in-diffused processes created [Cr]_Nb centres in the diffusion zone. The location of the diffused Zn²⁺ ions is considered to be in Li⁺ site, displacing the Cr³⁺ ions from the Li⁺ sites, [Cr]_Li, to the Nb⁵⁺ positions, [Cr]_Nb.     

EPR investigation of the trivalent chromium complexes in SrTiO3

The trivalent chromium centers were investigated by means of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in SrTiO₃ single crystals grown using the Verneuil technique. It was shown that the charge compensation of the Cr³⁺-V_O dominant centers in octahedral environment is due to the remote oxygen vacancy located on the axial axis of the center. In order to provide insight into spin-phonon relaxation processes the studies of axial distortion of Cr³⁺-V_O centers have been performed as function of temperature. The analysis of the trigonal Cr³⁺ centers found in SrTiO₃ indicates the presence of the nearest-neighbor strontium vacancy. The next-nearest-neighbor exchange-coupled pairs of Cr³⁺ in SrTiO₃ has been analyzed from the angular variation of the total electron spin of S=2 resonance lines.