Photoluminescence properties of Mn-doped II–VI semiconductor nanocrystals

Our recent photoluminescence studies on ZnS:Mn²⁺- and CdS:Mn²⁺-nanocrystals dispersed in polyvinyl alcohol polymer films are reviewed. Both nanocrystal samples show Mn²⁺ 3d intrashell luminescence with high quantum efficiencies of about 20% at room temperature under the interband excitation. Noticeable characteristics of our nanocrystal samples are that the luminescence involving some trap state is much weaker than the Mn²⁺ luminescence, unlike other reports, and that thermal quenching of the Mn²⁺ luminescence is remarkably weak, compared with the corresponding bulky crystal powder. These two characteristics lead to the above high quantum efficiencies of the Mn²⁺ luminescence at room temperature. In addition, we examine the dominant excitation mechanism of Mn²⁺ in the nanocrystals under the interband excitation and the validity of the sp–d mixing model proposed previously to explain the high luminescence quantum efficiency.