New aspects of the luminescence of magnesiumtitanate part I: Activation with chromium

Mg₂TiO₄:Cr³⁺ annealed at 560°C shows luminescence properties which differ considerably from those of the unannealed phosphor used so far. In both cases the regular Cr³⁺ ions only absorb the irradiated energy transferring it radiationless to the real luminescence centres, but the annealed phosphor reveals a new spectrum consisting of a few sharp lines. The radiance of the single lines can be influenced by powdering, which in connection with the annealing effect shows that the centres of both types of phosphors consist of clusters of lattice defects and octahedrally coordinated Cr³⁺ ions. These clusters or associates form themselves by thermal diffusion during the annealing process. Furthermore criteria have been found showing that the R lines do not come from only one but from two Cr³⁺ ions situated in non-equivalent lattice sites.