Thermostimulated luminescence of CdF2:Eu crystals

Using the method of fractional thermostimulated luminescence (FTSL), the temperature dependence of the mean activation energy of recombination processes in CdF₂:Eu³⁺ crystal was obtained. After thermal annealing of the crystal, thermostimulated luminescence peaks were identified. Anomalously low frequency factor (s=10⁷ s ^–1) of the recombination processes can be explained by the dependence of the resonance energy transfer probability on intercentre distance.The authors are very grateful to Dr. E. Kotomin for valuable comments and Dr. C. Paracchini for supply of CdF₂:Eu crystals.     

Thermostimulated luminescence of activated crystals NaF-(Pb,U)

Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 48–53, January, 1992.     

Thermostimulated currents in n-type CdTe single crystals

Measurements of thermostimulated currents on n-type CdTe crystals yield activation energies of traps which can be identified with previously known localized levels. The diffusion of Cu and In into the crystals can be proved by means of the presence of corresponding trap levels.     

Thermostimulated surface autosegregation in bismuth titanate single crystals

High resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and electron microprobe X-ray analysis (EPMA) were used to study the morphology and local phase composition of (001) faces in single crystals of bismuth titanate Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ formed as a result of thermostimulated surface segregation (TSAS). One possible mechanism for this phenomenon, generated by the selective internal mass transfer of the matrix’s own atoms to the surface in competition with the processes of selective component evaporation, is discussed.     

Thermostimulated surface autosegregation in bismuth ferrite single crystals

The chemical and phase composition and morphological features of the surface nanostructure have been studied by the methods of high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, X-ray microprobe analysis, and atomic force microscopy in bismuth ferrite single crystals. This structure was formed as a result of the thermostimulated surface segregation after annealing in air or vacuum at the pressure of 10⁻⁴ Pa. It has been experimentally found that, at temperatures less than 500°C, Bi₂F₄O₉ nanoparticles were formed due to the selective diffusion of iron atoms to the surface. Starting from 300°C in vacuum and 450°C in air, the segregating atom type changed and nanophases with high bismuth concentration (sillenites Bi_{26 − x} Fe _x O₃₉ and Bi₂O₃ appeared in some regions. The partial orientation of new phases has been observed in some surface regions. A probable mechanism of the described phenomenon that represents a combination of selective intrinsic mass-transport of atoms from the bulk to the surface and their thermal evaporation has been discussed.     

Thermostimulated currents in p-type cadmium telluride single crystals

Ssveral samples of CdTe were measured in a temperature range of –190C to 100C. The activation energies of the levels and their cross-section were determined. With some samples it was found that for more rapid heating the maxima of the curves of thermostimulated currents are shifted towards lower temperatures. Altogether three trap levels were found.     

Thermostimulated phenomena in the crystals NaCl doped with Mg

Optical and thermostimulated phenomena have been measured in differently irradiated crystals NaCl: Mg after different thermal treatment and bleaching in the F-band respectively. Similarly to the calcium doped crystals, the maxima of the thermostimulated luminescence (TL) were found. The maxima are situated in the region from 400 to 550 K too. New maxima were found in the region from 550 to 650 K in strongly irradiated samples. Absorption bands in the UV region have been tentatively attributed to the TL maxima. On the basis of these results we have tentatively proposed models of relevant colour centres and of recombination mechanism of TL with ions of Cu as luminescence centres.     

Thermostimulated surface segregation processes in ionic crystals: Potassium chloride

The chemical and phase composition, and cleavage surface morphology and the vapor composition of potassium chloride (KCl) crystals formed as a result of the thermostimulated surface autosegregation (TSAS) are studied by methods of microprobe analysis, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, optical digital microscopy, and quadrupole mass spectrometry. It is experimentally found that the stoichiometry (K/Cl <1) in the surface layers changes due to a decrease in the potassium surface concentration from 5% in the initial samples to 12% after annealing at a temperature of 1023 K. After annealing at a temperature of 573 K for 5 h at P = 10^?3 Pa, the potassium deficiency increases to 17%. The competing processes resulting in TSAS in potassium chloride are the self-diffusion of potassium to the surface and its subsequent sublimation. During the annealing processes the sublimation of potassium dominates, but at a temperature near fusion, the self-diffusion of potassium to the surface increases. It is concluded that potassium chloride analogous to sodium chloride is a rather stable compound to TSAS. This is an additional argument of the important role of ionic bonds in a decrease in the tendency of chemical compounds to surface autosegregation.     

Thermostimulated recombination processes in LiBaF3 crystals

The creation of radiation defects in LiBaF₃ crystals at 10 K and the processes of their thermostimulated recombination are investigated. The methods of optical absorption, thermal bleaching of color centers, thermostimulated luminescence and fractional glow technique are used. The radiation defects anneal in a multi-stage process accompanied with thermo-luminescence at 20, 46, 105, 130, 170, 210 and 270 K. Differences in the optical absorption spectra measured before and after the TSL peaks are obtained and recombination parameters are determined. The TSL peak at 20 K arises from the delocalization of H-centers. The presence of two TSL peaks related to V_K-centers at 105 and 130 K indicates that 60° and 90° migration hops occur.     

Thermostimulated luminescence characteristics of dolomitic rocks and their use as a gamma ray dosimeter

The thermostimulated luminescence (TSL) glow curve characteristics of ten dolomitic crystals of Salem and Namakkal districts of Tamilnadu are analysed. The natural thermoluminescence (NTL) measurements were carried out for all the samples and show two peaks at 270 °C and 335 °C. The sample irradiated with a gamma dose of 200 Gy shows an additional peak at 180 °C, when recorded with linear heating rate of 10 °Cs⁻¹. At the same time, the NTL peak at 270 °C is shifted to 260 °C while increasing in intensity and there is no change in the peak position of 335 °C. The annealed sample also shows the same trend. The sample was annealed in air at the temperatures ranging from 200 to 950 °C, at an interval of 50 °C, for 1 h duration. Annealing treatment above 250 °C increases the sensitivity of all three TSL peaks. On the other hand, annealing at 800 °C caused a collapse in the TSL sensitivity. The enhancement in TSL sensitivity was found to depend on the annealing temperature and time. Annealing treatment at 700 °C for 4 h followed by quenching in air is the optimum condition for TSL sensitization. The response to gamma irradiation is linear in the range from 0.5 to 10⁴ Gy. The number of glow peaks was identified through partial heating method. Using peak shape and initial rise method the kinetic parameters (activation energy (E), frequency factor (S) and order of kinetics (b)) were evaluated. The investigations show that the trapping centers are not affected by the annealing procedure. The emission spectra of all the samples show an emission at around 608 nm but with different intensities for each sample. With reference to earlier work, it may be assumed that the recombination site always involves Mn²⁺ ions.     

Self-activated luminescence in zinc-sulfo-selenide crystals

The orange luminescence at 2.15eV of As-grown ZnS_0.52Se_0.48crystals has been studied. The peak energy, halfwidth and Gaussian band shape exhibit a temperature dependence which is similar to that of the self-activated (SA) luminescence of ZnS at 2.66 eVand to that of ZnSe at 2.03 eV, and which can be described satisfactorily by a configurational coordinate model. However, optically detected magnetic resonance experiments at 1.8 K show that the luminescence is due to the recombination of an electron thermally released from a donor state with a hole trapped at an A-center acceptor state. The temperature dependence of the thermoluminescence spectra above 77 K and their spectral shift under additional IR exposure are also consistent with radiative recombination involving distant donor-acceptor pairs.     

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.