Kinetics of red, blue and UV thermoluminescence and optically-stimulated luminescence from quartz

The duration over which charge is retained at trapping sites is of fundamental importance for trapped electron dating. Here, we report measurements of the kinetic parameters of the prominent thermoluminescence (TL) glow peaks of quartz, and of the optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) signal from quartz utilised for optical dating. The similarity in trapping lifetimes of the 325°C TL peak and the dominant component of the OSL signal are taken as further support for the hypothesis of their common origin in the same trapped electron population.     

Characteristics of time-resolved luminescence in quartz

Time-resolved luminescence measurements were performed with samples of synthetic quartz (Sawyer Premium Q) and granular quartz extracted from ceramics and sediment samples under pulsed (5 ns) laser stimulation (OPO). The luminescence was detected in the UV region using colour glass filters (FWHM 280–380 nm). The time-resolved spectrum is dominated by a single exponential decay that remains substantially unaltered when the stimulation wavelength is changed from 600 to 450 nm indicating that the same recombination process is being observed. The lifetime measured at room temperature was 40±0.6 μs for the synthetic quartz; at elevated temperatures the measured lifetime is reduced in a manner that is consistent with a competitive non-radiative recombination process (thermal quenching). An average lifetime of 33±0.3 μs was obtained for seven samples of granular quartz, indicating a common recombination process in these natural samples that differs from the value for synthetic quartz.     

Comparative study on the effect of annealing treatments on RTL mechanism in natural quartz from different origins

The behaviour of trap centres and luminescence centres has been investigated for fired and unfired natural quartz from bricks and sediments irradiated at 100 Gy and annealed at different temperatures in the range 350-700 °C. The annealing treatment affects thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve as various changes were observed. The higher sensitization occurred for an annealing in the region 550-600 °C. At this annealing temperature, it has been observed the emergence of two peaks arising at 96 and 180 °C. At lower annealing temperatures, these peaks are overlapped by the peaks localized at 90 and 195 °C, respectively. Concerning the fired quartz, the higher sensitization occurred for an annealing in the region 500-550 °C for peak temperature around 200 °C and an unusual desensitization for the peak temperature around 100 °C. The behaviour of the two types of quartz is analyzed regarding to their kinetic parameters and luminescence emission and compared to literature data.     

Effects of annealing on TL sensitivity of granitic quartz

A TL sensitivity change can usually be observed after the quartz sample is heated to a high temperature. The change of 110°C TL peak or PTTL was reported to be an increase in many studies. The change of TL sensitivity of other TL peaks, mainly 150 and 375°C, with annealing treatments was demonstrated in this study. Two types of TL sensitivities in granitic quartz were found. One type is the low temperature TL sensitivity (<250°C) which increases with annealing time and temperature. Another type is the high temperature TL sensitivity (>250°C) which usually decreases after annealing. If the TL sensitivity is a measure of the population of associated TL traps, the trap population is a potential geochronometer to date a cooling age of a granite host.     

The diffractional grating effect in the luminescence of a pulse excited multilevel system

A new coherent effect is predicted in the luminescence of a multilevel system with a quasi-equidistant spectrum, excited by a short coherent pulse. The spontaneous radiation from such s system is a sequence of short intensive coherent pulses. This effect is quite analogous to the appearance of diffraction peaks due to the scattering off a diffraction grating containing a large number of lines.     

Identifying well-bleached quartz using the different bleaching rates of quartz and feldspar luminescence signals

When dating older sedimentary deposits using quartz, there are no unambiguous methods for identifying the presence of incomplete bleaching. Current statistical analysis of dose distributions depends entirely on the assumption that incomplete bleaching and mixing are the main causes of any excess dispersion in the distribution; the only existing way to test this assumption is using independent age control. Here we suggest a new approach to this question, based on the differential bleaching rates of quartz and feldspar luminescence signals. We first present data that confirm the differences in relative bleaching rates of quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and feldspar luminescence stimulated at 50 °C by infrared light (IR₅₀) and feldspar luminescence stimulated at 290 °C by infrared light after a stimulation at 50 °C (pIRIR₂₉₀), and use recently deposited samples to determine the likely significance of the difficult-to-bleach residual feldspar signals in non-aeolian samples. For a set of mainly Late Pleistocene non-aeolian sediments, large aliquot quartz doses are then used to predict feldspar doses (based on a knowledge of the sample dose rates). The differences between observed and predicted feldspar doses as a function of the quartz dose, combined with a conservative assumption concerning the relative feldspar and quartz residual signals after natural bleaching prior to deposition, are used to identify those samples for which the quartz is very likely to be well bleached (20 out of 24). Two of these apparently well-bleached samples are then examined using single-grain quartz dose distributions; one of these is consistent with the well-bleached hypothesis, and one indicates poor bleaching or a multi-component mixture. However, independent age control makes it clear that the large aliquot data are more likely to be correct. We conclude that a comparison of quartz and feldspar doses provides a useful independent method for identifying well-bleached quartz samples, and that it is unwise to apply statistical models to dose distributions without clear evidence for the physical origins of the distributions.     

The slow component of quartz optically stimulated luminescence

The slow component of quartz OSL displays a number of properties that clearly distinguish it from the main (‘rapidly bleachable’) part of the quartz OSL signal traditionally used for dating. These properties include an extremely high thermal stability, dose saturation level and a charge concentration dependence in both signal form and decay rate. The physical mechanism responsible for the slow component is thought at present to involve a direct donor–acceptor recombination component, possibly associated with competing pathways below, and possibly up to, the conduction band. The thermal stability and high dose saturation characteristics of the slow component suggest much potential for long-range dating exists although at present it is uncertain whether difficulties associated with partial resetting may preclude routine use of the slow component for dating sedimentary deposits. A single-aliquot additive dose method was however used to obtain an estimate of D_e from the slow component for an Egyptian quartz sample that was in broad agreement with previous estimates based on the standard multiple-aliquot additive dose method.The slow component is often small in magnitude compared to the initial portion of the quartz OSL decay. However, this is not always the case and for some samples significant inaccuracies in D_e estimation may occur when deriving ages from the initial ‘rapidly bleaching’ portion of the OSL decay if the effect of the slow component is ignored or taken to be constant.     

Temperature dependence of luminescence time-resolved spectra from quartz

Pulsed optical stimulation of luminescence has been used to study the thermal dependence of luminescence lifetimes in quartz over the temperature range 20–200°C. Time-resolved spectra for lifetime analysis were recorded from samples of quartz over a dynamic range of 64 μs following stimulation of luminescence by pulsed 525 nm green light emitting diodes (LEDs) using an 11 μs pulse and 12% duty cycle. It has been demonstrated that an increase in measurement temperature generally leads to a decrease in lifetimes from about 30 μs at 20°C to about 7 μs at 200°C. The form of the decrease is influenced by the initial optical or thermal pre-treatment of samples.     

Influence of laser annealing on defect-related luminescence of InGaN epilayers

InGaN epilayers exhibiting strong defect-related sub-bandgap emission, which is undesirable in epilayers and quantum well structures designed for light-emitting diodes and laser diodes, have been studied by confocal photoluminescence spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Inhomogeneous spatial distribution of band-edge luminescence intensity and comparatively homogenous distribution of defect-related emission are demonstrated. It is shown that laser annealing at power densities causing the increase of the temperature at the epilayer surface high enough for indium atoms to move to the surface results in suppression of the defect-related emission.     

Effect of annealing treatment on luminescence property of MgO nanowires

Magnesium oxide nanowires (NWs) were synthesized by a current heating process. The effect of annealing treatment in air on their structural and optical characteristics was investigated. As-grown NWs in diameter ranging from 30 to 70 nm and length up to several 10 μm were obtained. Carbon-coating layers were observed in the as-grown NWs which were oxidized during the annealing treatment at high temperature. Ionoluminescence spectra of the as-grown and annealed NWs have showed two emission peaks centered at 360 nm (UV emission) and 492 nm (green emission). The intensities of green emission were maximum at the annealing temperature of 650 °C for 2 h, whereas those of UV emission were decreased with increasing the annealing temperature. It is anticipated that maximum green emission correlates to the sufficient density of oxygen vacancies which was occurred by the optimum annealing parameters of both temperature and time.     

Near-edge luminescence of irradiated silicon. The effect of the form of irradiation and of the annealing temperature

Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 248–256, August, 1989.