Exciton luminescence of YAlO<Subscript>3</Subscript> single crystals and single-crystal films

The paper reports on a study of exciton luminescence in single crystals (SCs) and single-crystal films (SCFs) of YAlO₃, which have substantially different concentrations of vacancy-type and substitutional defects, under excitation by synchrotron radiation near the fundamental absorption edge. The radiative annihilation of excitons in SCFs was shown to occur primarily at regular perovskite lattice sites and to be accompanied by luminescence in a band peaking at λ_max = 295 nm with τ = 5.2 ns. In contrast to SCFs, the radiative exciton decay in YAlO₃ SCs takes place predominantly near vacancy-type defects (F⁺ and F centers) and is accompanied by luminescence in the bands at λ_max = 350 nm (τ = 2.5 ns) and 440 nm (τ₁ = 1.9 ns, τ₂ = 30 ms). Photoexcitation in the 175-nm band of YAlO₃ SCs revealed photoconversion of the centers F → F⁺.     

Wide-band EPR spectroscopy of YAlO3: Tm3+ single crystals

The YAlO₃: Tm³⁺ single crystal has been studied on a wide-band EPR spectrometer. The EPR spectra of Tm³⁺ ions in the frequency range of 90–160 GHz have been detected for the first time. It has been confirmed that thulium ions substitute the position of Y³⁺ in the crystal lattice. The detected spectra have been described with the use of a spin Hamiltonian with the effective spin S = 1/2. A comparative analysis of the orientation of the magnetic axes of the Tm³⁺ paramagnetic center with earlier data on other rare-earth ions has been performed.     

Ultraviolet photoemission from polymeric sulfur nitride polycrystalline films and single crystals

The (SN)_x valence band structure, for polycrystalline films as well as for single crystal samples, has been studied using He I and He II resonance radiation. In angle-resolved photoemission energy distributions from single crystals, structure in the spectra is selectively enhanced offering a possibility of assigning the photoemission as originating from particular regions of the Brillouin Zone. The observed onset of photoemission 0.2 eV below the Fermi edge is discussed.     

EPR of Er3+, Nd3+, and Ce3+ ions in YAlO3 single crystals

EPR spectra of the Er³⁺, Nd³⁺, and Ce³⁺ ions substituting for the Y³⁺ ion in the YAlO₃ yttrium orthoaluminate lattice are studied. The EPR spectra of these rare-earth ions are described by a spin Hamiltonian of rhombic symmetry with an effective spin S=1/2. The principal values of the g tensors were determined from an analysis of the angular dependences of the EPR spectra. The orientation of the local magnetic axes of paramagnetic centers relative to the YAlO₃ crystallographic directions are shown to depend on the actual rare-earth species. The EPR spectra exhibit a hyperfine structure due to the ¹⁶⁷Er, ¹⁴³Nd, and ¹⁴⁵Nd odd isotopes, which permitted unambiguous identification of these spectra. The hyperfine coupling constants for the odd erbium and neodymium isotopes are determined.     

Luminescence spectroscopy of excitons and antisite defects in Lu3Al5O12 single crystals and single-crystal films

The nature of the intrinsic luminescence of the lutetium aluminum garnet Lu₃Al₅O₁₂ (LuAG) has been analyzed on the basis of time-resolved spectral kinetic investigations upon excitation of two model objects, LuAG single crystals and single-crystal films, by pulsed X-ray and synchrotron radiations. Due to the differences in the mechanisms and methods of crystallization, these objects are characterized by significantly different concentrations of Lu_Al antisite defects. The energy structure of luminescence centers in LuAG single crystals (self-trapped excitons (STEs), excitons localized near antisite defects, and Lu_Al antisite defects) has been established. For single-crystal LuAG films, grown by liquid-phase epitaxy from a Pb-containing flux, the energy parameters of the following luminescence centers have been determined: STEs in regular (unperturbed by the presence of antisite defects) sites of the garnet lattice and excitons localized near Pb²⁺ ions. The structure of the luminescence centers, related to the background emission of impurity Pb²⁺ ions, has also been established in the UV and visible ranges. It is suggested that, in contrast to the two-halide hole self-trapping, a self-trapped state similar to STEs in simple oxides (Al₂O₃, Y₂O₃) is formed in LuAG; this state is formed by self-trapped holes in the form of singly charged O^? ions and electrons localized at excited levels of Lu³⁺ cations.     

温度梯度法生长的Ce:YAlO3高温闪烁晶体的光谱分析

采用温度梯度法生长了熔体掺杂Ce浓度为1at%的YAlO3晶体,对于其吸收光谱、荧光光谱和x射线激发发射谱进行了表征分析.根据吸收光谱提出了一个色心模型,从而成功的解释了为什么刚生长出的晶体为粉红色,而分别经氢气和空气在1400℃退火后均能变为无色的现象和退火以后吸收光谱发生的显著变化.温度梯度法生长的Ce:YAP在330nm处存在着一定程度的自吸收和自激发.光致激发发射谱的发射主峰在368nm,而x射线激发发射谱的主发射峰红移至391nm,这表明在x射线激发下,晶体对发射光的自吸收将会减少.另外在x射线激发发射谱上,经H2退火和空气退火后的样品其发射强度比未退火的晶体要强.     

Low-temperature luminescence and thermally stimulated luminescence of BeO: Mg single crystals

Luminescence and thermally stimulated luminescence (TL) of BeO: Mg crystals are studied at T = 6–380 K. The TL glow curves and the spectra of luminescence (1.2–6.5 eV), luminescence excitation, and reflection (3.7–20 eV) are obtained. It is found that the introduction of an isovalent magnesium impurity into BeO leads to the appearance of three new broad luminescence bands at 6.2–6.3, 4.3–4.4, and 1.9–2.6 eV. The first two are attributed to the radiative annihilation of a relaxed near-impurity (Mg) exciton, the excited state of which is formed as a result of energy transfer by free excitons. The impurity VUV and UV bands are compared with those for the intrinsic luminescence of BeO caused by the radiative annihilation of self-trapped excitons (STE) of two kinds: the band at 6.2–6.3 eV of BeO: Mg is compared with the band at 6.7 eV (STE₁) of BeO, and the band at 4.3–4.4 eV is compared with the band at 4.9 eV (STE²) of BeO. In the visible region, the luminescence spectrum is due to a superposition of intracenter transitions in an impurity complex including a magnesium ion. The manifestation of X-ray-induced luminescence bands at T = 6 K in BeO: Mg indicates their excitation during band-to-band transitions and in recombination processes. The energy characteristics of the impurity states in BeO: Mg are determined; the effect of the isovalent impurity on the fluctuation rearrangement of the BeO: Mg structure in the thermal transformation region of STE₁ → STE₂ is revealed.     

Crystal growth and luminescence properties of CuI single crystals

Recently, much attention has been attached to the material of cuprous iodide (CuI) single crystals. In this paper, a detailed study of the variation in the nucleation density and the growth of CuI crystals in silica gel as a function of the concentration of feed solution, pH of gel, gel aging time, growth temperature and volume of the feed solution is presented. The optimum conditions for growth of large size CuI single crystals in gel are: pH 5, concentration of complex 0.244 M, gel aging 72 h, temperature 45 °C. A simple procedure for increasing the size of the crystals is adopted and the CuI single crystal with the size of 4 mm³ is obtained. Also, the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of as-grown CuI crystals in silica gel is evaluated by comparing its PL spectra with that of CuI crystals grown by solvent evaporation method. The results could provide a useful clue to further improve the properties of CuI single crystals.     

Electronic excitations and luminescence of SrMgF4 single crystals

The electronic and crystal structures of SrMgF₄ single crystals grown by the Bridgman method have been investigated. The undoped SrMgF₄ single crystals have been studied using low-temperature (T = 10 K) time-resolved fluorescence optical and vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy under selective excitation by synchrotron radiation (3.7–36.0 eV). Based on the measured reflectivity spectra and calculated spectra of the optical constants, the following parameters of the electronic structure have been determined for the first time: the minimum energy of interband transitions E _g = 12.55 eV, the position of the first exciton peak E _n = 1 = 11.37 eV, the position of the maximum of the “exciton” luminescence excitation band at 10.7 eV, and the position of the fundamental absorption edge at 10.3 eV. It has been found that photoluminescence excitation occurs predominantly in the region of the low-energy fundamental absorption edge of the crystal and that, at energies above E _g , the energy transfer from the matrix to luminescence centers is inefficient. The exciton migration is the main excitation channel of photoluminescence bands at 2.6–3.3 and 3.3–4.2 eV. The direct photoexcitation is characteristic of photoluminescence from defects at 1.8–2.6 and 4.2–5.5 eV.     

Time-resolved OSL studies of YAlO3:Mn2+ crystals

Time-Resolved Optically Stimulated Luminescence (TR-OSL) from single crystalline YAlO₃:Mn²⁺ samples was investigated using a green light emitting diode (λ ∼ 525 nm) as stimulation light source. The TR-OSL decay curve of the material can be described with a single exponential decay function with a lifetime about 80 ms that does not depend on irradiation dose in the range from 50 mGy to 1 kGy. This OSL decay is superposed on a photoluminescence signal with a much shorter (3.5 ms) decay lifetime. The Mn²⁺ photoluminescence decay with a lifetime of 3.5 ms can be easily eliminated by corresponding time resolution using pulsed OSL readout. Dose response and thermal stability of the OSL signal are consistent with the previous thermoluminescent (TL) studies of the material.     

Short-wavelenght luminescence and thermostimulated processes in single crystals of BeO

The results of a study of thermostimulated luminescence and recombination processes in pure and impure single crystals of BeO are reported. The origin of the trapping and recombination centers, their parameters (activation energies, frequency factors), the recombination schemes and the TL spectra were determined. It was shown that, in the BeO single crystals during electron and hole recombinations, the excitation of the intrinsic luminescence band at 4.9 eV proceeds and its characteristics inherit no properties from the recombination centers.     

Sensitized UV luminescence from single crystals of zinc oxide

The reflection, absorption, excitation, photoluminescence, and cathodoluminescence spectra have been studied for indium-doped single crystals of ZnO. The temperature quenching of the UV-radiation bands has also been studied. These studies have made it possible to establish that the UV-radiation bands are excited during quantum absorption corresponding to “band-band” transitions and also by exciton absorption. The studies have also made it possible to calculate the activation energy of the temperature quenching. In the photoluminescence spectrum of ZnO crystals there is a wide radiation band in the 3950–4050-Å region which could be described by transitions in donor-acceptor pairs. It is shown that the band of the equidistant series at 3834 Å is complex in character.     

Quenching by electric fields of the luminescence of As2Se3 single crystals

High electric fields reduce the luminescence of As₂Se₃ at 77 K and increase simultaneously the photoconductivity. Comparison of both effects points to excitons as the source for emission of light whereas free carriers contributing to photoconductance recombine non radiatively. The field affects free excitons and their thermalization but does not ionize excitons trapped in radiative centres. At low excitation energy, in the range of indirect transitions, the field quenching of luminescence obeys a Poole-Frenkel behaviour. Such interpretation yields an exciton binding energy of 50 meV. The quantum efficiency of luminescence decreases to higher photon energy. Part of this decrease is related to an increase of the photoconductivity.