X-ray excited luminescence and photoluminescence of Bi4(GeO4)3 glass-ceramics

Bi₄(GeO₄)₃ glass materials have been characterized by X-ray excited luminescence, photoluminescence and cathodo-luminescence measurements. The materials were obtained by crystallization at different temperatures and their spectroscopic parameters were compared before and after crystallization. Thermoluminescence curves recorded after electron irradiation of BGO glass behave similarly to BGO crystals, showing several peaks between 408 K (135 °C) and 610 K (337 °C). The differences between the Bi₄(GeO₄)₃ crystals and glass materials are believed to result from the random distribution of GeO₄ tetrahedra around Bi³⁺ ions which influences the photoluminescence and TL parameters. The CL images of glass-ceramic samples obtained by partial crystallization at 600 °C show luminescent crystalline structures, which are probably responsible for the increase in scintillation efficiency.     

Induced absorption in yttrium aluminium perovskite crystals irradiated by 12C and 235U ions

The present work is devoted to investigation of optical absorption in pure and neodymium-doped YAlO₃ (YAP) single crystals in the spectral range 0.2–1.1 μm induced by the influence of ¹²C ions irradiation with energy 4.50 MeV/u (MeV per nucleon) and a fluence 2 × 10⁹ cm^?2 or of ²³⁵U ion irradiation with energy 9.35 MeV/u and a fluence 5 × 10¹¹ cm^?2. The induced absorption in the case of ¹²C ions irradiation is caused by recharging of point growth defects and impurities under the radiation influence. After irradiation by ²³⁵U ions with fluence 5 × 10¹¹ cm^?2 the strong absorption rise is probably caused by contribution of the lattice destruction as a result of heavy ion bombardment.     

Effect of higher order nonlinear optical processes on optical absorption in the photorefractive BSO and BGO crystals

The processes of nonlinear refraction and nonlinear absorption are studied in the photorefractive Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ (BSO) and Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ (BGO) crystals at a wavelength of a picosecond Nd:YAG laser of 1064 nm. The nonlinear refraction in the crystals is shown to be related to the Kerr effect, and the nonlinear absorption at this wavelength, to three-photon absorption. The three-photon absorption coefficients of the BSO and BGO crystals are equal, respectively, to (2.5±0.8) ×10^?20 and (4.4±1.3) ×10^?20 cm³W^?2.     

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Under low energy sputtering conditions (e.g. Ar⁺ ions, 300 eV, 10^?8A cm^?2) the Secondary Ion Mass Spectra show almost only those polyatomic ions which correspond to the arrangement of the atoms in the crystal structure. This method for obtaining structural information is demonstrated on a single crystal of cubic ZnS. In the SIMS for this pure ZnS crystal mainly polyatomic ions such as (ZnS)⁺, (ZnS)^?, (ZnSZn)⁺, (SZnS)^?, etc. were observed. Other polyatomic ions such as (Zn₂)⁺ or (S₂^?), which are not originally present in the crystal, are observed only in a very low counting rate ratio. An increase in the energy of the primary ions causes larger clusters of atoms of the crystal to be taken off, as well as polyatomic ions which do not correspond to the original structure. These effects and the influence of the crystallographic orientations are demonstrated on single crystals of CaF₂. Two applications of this method are discussed: the determination of S₂ content in thin films of ZnS and the identification of “FeAl₂O₄” clusters in activated ammonia catalysts (α-Fe+ 3%Al₂O₃).     

Nature of radiation resistance of LFS oxyorthosilicate crystals doped with Ce,Sc, Ca,and Y ions

Optical and luminescence characteristics of Lu_2+2ySi_1-yO_5+y (LFS) scintillation crystals are studied before and after irradiation with doses to 45 Mrad from a ⁶⁰Co source. LFS crystals were doped with Ce³⁺, Sc³⁺, Ca²⁺, and Y³⁺ ions with various concentrations. The dependence of the radiation resistance of LFS crystals on Ce ion concentration is detected. For the crystal of composition Ce:Sc:Ca:Y:LFS, it was found that its optical transmission (OT) and pulsed cathodoluminescence (PCL) spectra before irradiation do not differ from the spectra measured after irradiation with a dose of 45 Mrad within experimental error. The nature of the radiation resistance of rare-earth lutetium oxyorthosilicates (LFS) is discussed.     

Polarization of emission spectra from Ti3+-doped oxide crystals

The Ti³⁺ ion in YAlO₃ (YAP), Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG), and Al₂O₃ crystals occupies distorted octahedral sites relative to the nearest neighbour ligand ions. Such distortions are of even-parity in YAG where the zero-phonon lines in emission occur via magnetic dipole transitions. In contrast, the zero-phonon transitions occur by electric dipole processes in Ti³⁺:YAP and Ti³⁺:Al₂O₃ where there are odd-parity distortions from octahedral symmetry. This paper reports measurements of the zero-phonon lines of Ti³⁺ ions in YAP, YAG, and Al₂O₃ at 10 K. The zero-phonon lines of Ti³⁺:YAP are strongly polarized perpendicular to the tetragonal axis and those of Ti³⁺:Al₂O₃ parallel to the trigonal axis. The experimental results are shown to be in accord with a molecular orbital model of the radiative transition according to which the transition intensities derive from odd-parity ligand wavefunctions induced into even-parity ground and excited Ti³⁺ wavefunctions by odd-parity crystal distortions.     

Comparison of Lu3Al5O12:Pr and Bi4Ge3O12 scintillators for gamma-ray detection

The scintillation properties of Lu₃Al₅O₁₂:Pr³⁺ (LuAG:Pr) single crystal grown by the Czochralski method with praseodymium concentration of 0.19 mol% were investigated. For a comparison, a good quality Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ (BGO) single crystal grown by Bridgman method was also studied. The light yield and energy resolution were measured using photomultiplier tube (XP5200B PMT) readout. Moderate light yield of 15,900 photons per MeV was measured for the LuAG:Pr(0.19%) crystal. For 662 keV gamma rays (¹³⁷Cs source), an energy resolution of 6.5% obtained for LuAG:Pr(0.19%) is much better than that of 9.0% obtained for BGO. The light yield non-proportionality and energy resolution versus energy of gamma rays were measured and the intrinsic resolution of the crystals was determined after correcting the measured energy resolution for PMT statistics. The LuAG:Pr(0.19%) showed a good proportionality of the light yield within 5% over the energy range from 1274.5 keV down to 32 keV, which is much better than that of 14% for BGO. The photofraction was determined at 320 and 662 keV for both crystals and compared with the ratio of the cross-sections for the photoelectric effect to the total one calculated using WinXCOM program.     

Irradiation and heating effects in amethyst crystals from brazil

Abstract

In this work we report optical absorption spectroscopy study of thermal and irradiation effects on samples of amethyst from Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Three bands were studied: 10500 cm^?1 (k), 18300 cm^?1 (θ) and 28000 cm^?1 (ζ). Thermal and irradiation effects shows that the θ and ζ bands belongs to a same center and the k band to another center. The isothermal decay and irradiation growth of these band reveal a complex kinetics. The optical absorption bands of amethyst from Minas Gerais do not recover the prmitive absorbance after being bleached at 470°C and irradiated. This sample heated at 470°C in highly reducing atmosphere gets a yellow-brown color. The amethyst from Rio Grande do Sul treated at 400°C gets, also, a yellow-brown color. We suggest this color is probalbly due to the formation of Fe₂O₃ submicroscopc segregate crystals due to the diffusion of Fe ions and oxygen vacancies.     

Laser properties of coactivated YAP: Nd free of colour centres

YAP:Nd, Cr grown under Ar-H₂ or Ar-He-H₂ atmosphere possesses good energy transfer from Cr³⁺ to Nd³⁺ but suffers from the colour centre formation. The centre formation was completely prevented using further admixture of Ce³⁺ and 10^–4–10^–3 wt. % Fe. Small luminescence quenching of Cr³⁺ or Nd³⁺ due to iron ions is negligible in the presence of Ce³⁺. The crystals may be also heavily doped with Nd³⁺ because the increased pumping efficiency compensates the shortening of the luminescence lifetime. YAP: Nd, Ce, Cr, Fe is advisible active laser material particularly for all the types of pulsed lasers.     

Thermoluminescence and opitical absorption of BaF2 crystals

Abstract

Nominally pure and Dy-doped BaF₂ crystals were investigated concerning their optical absorption (OA) and thermoluminescence (TL) properties. Peaks at 120—150 and 200°C were observed for a heating rate of 1.7°C/s. The TL response for γ-rays and the TL emission spectra were obtained for these peaks. Except for the purest crystal, all BaF₂ crystals produced OA bands before irradiation typical of Ce³⁺ ions. After irradiation, Dy doped crystals showed bands due to Dy²⁺ ions. A nominally pure sample gave bands related to Ce²⁺ ions and photochromic centers of Ce³⁺ ions. and photochromic centres of Ce³⁺ ions. The correlation between some OA bands and TL peaks is discussed.     

Growth and spectroscopic properties of RE, Mn:YAP (RE=Yb and Ce) photorefractive crystals

RE, Mn:YAP (RE=Yb and Ce) crystals with dimension of Φ 25×60 mm were successfully grown by the Czochralski method. The spectroscopic properties of RE, Mn:YAP (RE=Yb and Ce) crystals before and after γ-irradiation were investigated at room temperature. The results show that the content of Mn⁴⁺ ions was increased with the Yb³⁺ ions co-doping, but decreased by Ce³⁺ ions co-doping. Thermoluminescence (TL) spectra of the crystals indicate three steps of recombination, and the probable recombination processes were discussed.     

The Stretching Vibration of Hydroxyl Ions in LaGaO3

The presence of hydroxyl ions in LaGaO₃ single crystals has been detected by means of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) absorption spectroscopy. A single narrow absorption line of the OH^? stretching vibration at about 3521 cm^?1 has been observed at T=9k in most of the as-grown crystals. The vibrational frequency decreased abruptly at the orthorhombic-rhombohedral structural phase transition temperature (T_c=418K). The parameters of the anharmonic potential of the OH^? stretching vibration have been determined from the isotopic replica and the overtone frequency and intensity, and found to be in agreement with those measured for hydroxyl ions in other oxide crystals.     

Intensity of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">f-f</Emphasis> transitions of Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript>, Er<Superscript>3+</Superscript>, and Tm<Superscript>3+</Superscript> rare-earth ions in calcium niobium gallium garnet crystals

This paper reports on the results of the investigation into the intensities of the f-f transitions of Nd³⁺, Er³⁺, and Tm³⁺ ions in calcium niobium gallium garnet (CNGG) crystals. The values of the oscillator strengths and line strengths obtained for hypersensitive transitions and the intensity parameters Ω _t of the rare-earth ions in the CNGG crystals are compared with the corresponding quantities for crystals of other garnets and some oxide and fluoride crystals. The assumption is made that an increase in the oscillator strengths and line strengths for the hypersensitive transitions and the intensity parameters Ω₂ of the Nd, Er, and Tm ions in the CNGG crystals as compared to those for crystals of other garnets is associated with the specific features revealed in the crystal structure of the calcium niobium gallium garnet, in particular, with the lowering of the symmetry of the positions occupied by rare-earth ions in the crystal structure.     

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.     

Hydrogen as origin of thermal fixing in LiNbO3: Fe

Protons are identified as the mobile ions, which neutralize the electronic space charge fields during thermal fixing of holograms in LiNbO₃:Fe. The protons form OH^? centers and can be observed via vibrational absorption bands. In crystals with reduced OH^? content holograms cannot be fixed thermally. In crystals containing fixed patterns the OH^? concentration shows a spatial variation corresponding to the electric charge distribution.     

Effects of annealing treatment and gamma irradiation on the absorption and fluorescence spectra of Cr:GSGG laser crystal

The influence of annealing treatments and gamma-ray irradiation on the absorption and fluorescence spectra of Cr:GSGG crystals grown by the Czochralski method has been investigated. Two absorption bands located near 686 nm and 1050 nm were weakened markedly after the crystal was re-annealed in H₂ atmosphere, which is due to the Cr⁴⁺ ions being de-oxidized into Cr³⁺ ions. The other two weak additional absorption bands induced by gamma-ray irradiation appearing near 310 nm and 480 nm are ascribed to the Fe²⁺ ions and F-type color centers, respectively. In particular, the gamma-ray irradiation with a dose of 100 Mrad has an effect of improving slightly the luminescence properties of Cr:GSGG crystals. The improvement mechanism is analyzed and discussed.     

IR,UV and visible absorption of X irradiated single crystals of sodium nitrite

X irradiation of NaNO₂ single crystals, induces a motion of some NO₂^? ions, mainly around the axis perpendicular to their planes (a axis). The change in the orientation of NO₂^? is observed on the v₂ vibration of NO₂^? (by IR absorption) and on the vibronic structures associated with the NO₂^? electronic transitions (by UV and visible absorption). Other centers, like no₃^?, are also produced by irradiation. Their evolution with temperature is studied.     

YIG formation in annealed iron implanted YAG

YAG and YIG crystals implanted respectively with 100 keV⁵⁷Fe²⁺ ions (1 × 10¹⁷ ions.cm^?2) and 50 keV²⁷Al ions (1.1 × 10¹⁷ ions.cm^?2) have been studied by conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) directly after implantation and after annealings in air at temperatures up to 1100°C. In both as-implanted samples iron is found mainly in three states: Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and small metallic precipitates. Annealing behaviour is divided into two stages: (i) up to 400°C the iron has become completely oxidized and (ii) between 400 and 850°C the epitaxial regrowth of the implanted layer takes place. During this process a part of iron ions are incorporated into octahedral and tetrahedral sites, thus making a Y₃ (Al Fe)₅ O₁₂ compound. The remaining iron part precipitates in the form of Fe₂O₃ particles.     

Study of iron implanted MgO crystals by low-energy electron induced X-ray spectroscopy

Magnesium oxide crystals implanted with Fe⁺ ions have been studied by means of Low-Energy-Electron-Induced X-ray Spectroscopy. All the implantations were carried out with 100 or 150 keV ion energy, at doses in the range from 10¹⁵ to 10¹⁷ ions cm^?2. The structure of the Fe L_II, L_III X-ray emission bands provides information about the iron chemical state. Fe L_II/L_III band intensity ratio measurements have been performed with a 3 keV electron excitation in order to investigate the whole implanted layer. In addition, by using a filtered Fourier transform technique on observed spectra, some modifications in the oxygen K emission band can be observed in implanted MgO crystals after thermal annealings in air. The oxygen spectrum fine structure suggests that the MgO matrix, partially destroyed by iron implantation, is restored after high temperature treatments. All the implantation, is restored after high temperature treatments. All the results are discussed on the basis of previous Mössbauer Spectroscopy studies and ion channeling investigations.