On the Quenching Mechanism of Ce, Tb Luminescence and Scintillation in Compositionally Disordered [sub.3]Al[sub.2]Ga[sub.3]O[sub.12] Garnet Ceramics

• Published in: Photonics Vol. 10; no. 6
• Main Authors: Dubov, Valery, Kuznetsova, Daria, Kamenskikh, Irina, Komendo, Ilia, Malashkevich, Georgii, Ramanenka, Andrei, Retivov, Vasili, Talochka, Yauheni, Vasil’ev, Andrei, Korzhik, Mikhail
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 01.05.2023
• Subjects: Ceramic materials; Ceramics; Russia
• ISSN: 2304-6732; 2304-6732
• DOI: 10.3390/photonics10060615

Two series of (Gd, Y, Yb)[sub.3]Al[sub.2]Ga[sub.3]O[sub.12] quintuple compounds with a garnet structure and solely doped with Ce and Tb were prepared in the form of ceramics by sintering in oxygen at 1600 °C for two hours and studied for the interaction of activator ions with ytterbium ions entering the matrix. It was shown that the photoluminescence and scintillation of Ce[sup.3+] ions are completely suppressed, predominantly by tunneling ionization through the charge transfer state (CTS) of the Ce[sup.4+]-Yb[sup.2+] ions. The photoluminescence of Tb[sup.3+] ions is quenched in the presence of ytterbium, but not completely due to the poor resonance conditions of Tb[sup.3+] intraconfiguration transitions and the CTS of the single Yb[sup.3+] and the CTS of Ce[sup.4+]-Yb[sup.2+] ions. The scintillation in the visible range of both Ce[sup.3+]- and Tb[sup.3+]-doped samples is intensely quenched as well, which indicates strong competition from Yb[sup.3+] ions to activators in interaction with the Gd substrate.