Influence of carbon on the thermoluminescence and optically stimulated luminescence of α -Al2O3:C crystals

alpha-Al2O3:C crystal shows excellent thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) properties but the real role carbon plays in this crystal is still not clearly understood so far. In this work, alpha-Al2O3:C crystal doping with different amounts of carbon were grown by the temperature gradient technique, and TL and OSL properties of as-grown crystals were investigated. Additionally, a mechanism was proposed to explain the role of carbon in forming the TL and OSL properties of alpha-Al2O3:C. TL and OSL intensities of as-grown crystals increase with the increasing amount of carbon doping in the crystal, but no shift is found in the glow peak location at 465 K. As the amount of carbon doping in the crystals decreases, OSL decay rate becomes faster. With the increase in heating rate, the integral TL response of as-grown crystals decreases and glow peak shifts to higher temperatures. TL response decrease rate increases with the increasing amount of carbon doping in the crystals. All the TL and OSL response curves of as-grown crystals show linear-sublinear-saturation characteristic, and OSL dose response exhibits higher sensitivity and wider linear dose range than that of TL. The crystal doping with 5000 ppm carbon shows the best dosimetric properties. Carbon plays the role of a dopant in alpha-Al2O3:C crystal and four-valent carbon anions replace the two-valent anions of oxygen during the crystal growth process, and large amounts of oxygen vacancies were formed, which corresponds to the high absorption coefficient of F and F+ centers in the crystals.

EFFECT OF V, NB, AND TA DOPING ON THE 2223 PHASE-FORMATION AND THE CRYSTAL-STRUCTURE IN THE BISRCACUO SYSTEM

X-ray diffraction and electrical and diamagnetic analyses revealed that the 2223 phase was significantly enhanced by high-valence cation (V5+, Nb5+, Ta5+, etc.) doping in BiSrCaCuO samples. The optimum nominal composition was Bi1.6M0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3 O(y)(M =

Effect of absorption on the diffraction efficiency in Fe : LiNbO3 crystal with 90 degrees recording geometry

In this paper the saturated diffraction efficiency has been optimized by considering the effect of the absorption of the recording light on a crossed-beam grating with 90 degrees recording geometry in Fe:LiNbO3 crystals. The dependence of saturated diffraction efficiency on the doping levels with a known oxidation-reduction state, as well as the dependence of saturated diffraction efficiency on oxidation-reduction state with known doping levels, has been investigated. Two competing effects on the saturated diffraction efficiency were discussed, and the intensity profile of the diffracted beam at the output boundary has also been investigated. The results show that the maximal saturated diffraction efficiency can be obtained in crystals with moderate doping levels and modest oxidation state. An experimental verification is performed and the results are consistent with those of the theoretical calculation.

Spectra analysis of a novel Ti-doped LiAlO2 single crystal

LiAlO2 single crystals doped with Ti at concentration 0.2 at.% are grown by the Czochralskl technique with dimensions Phi 42 x 55 mm. Ti ions in the crystal are quadrivalence proven by comparing the absorption and fluorescence spectra of pure LiAlO2 and Ti: LiAlO2. After air and Li-rich atmosphere annealing, the absorption peaks in the range of 600-800nm disappear. We conclude that 682 and 756nm absorption peaks are attributed to the V-Li and V-O absorptions, respectively. The peaks at 716nm and 798nm may stem from the V-Li(+) and F+ absorptions. The colour-centre model can be applied to explain the experimental phenomena. Ti4+-doping produces more lithium vacancies in the LiAlO2 crystal. The intensities of [LiO4] and the associated bonds remain unchanged, which improves the anti-hydrolyzation and thermal stability of LiAlO2 crystals.

High quantum fluorescence yield of Er3+ at 1.5 mu m in an Yb3+, Ce3+-codoped CaF2 crystal

For the first time, a quaternary doping system of Er3+, Yb3+, Ce3+, Na+:CaF2 single crystal was demonstrated to have high fluorescence yield in the eye-safe 1.5 mu m region under 980 nm laser diode pumping, with relatively broad and flat gain curves. A simplified model was established to illustrate the effect of Ce3+ on the branching ratio for the Er3+4I11/2 -> I-4(13/2) transition. With 0.2-at.% Er3+ and 2.0-at.% Ce3+ in the quaternary-doped CaF2 crystal, the branching ratio was estimated to be improved more than 40 times by the deactivating effect of Ce3+ on the Er3+ 4I11/2 level. The quaternary-doped CaF2, system shows great potential to achieve high laser performance in the 1.5 mu m region. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Growth and spectral properties of Er:Gd2SiO5 crystal

Er3+ -doped Gd2SiO5 (Er:GSO) single crystal with dimensions of circle divide 35 x 40 mm(3) has been grown by the Czochralski method. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of the Er:GSO crystal were measured at room temperature. The spectral parameters were calculated based on Judd-Ofelt theory, and the intensity parameters Omega(2), Omega(4) and Omega 6 are obtained to be 6.168 x 10(-20), 1.878 x 10(-20), and 1.255 x 10(-20) cm(2), respectively. The emission cross-section has been calculated by Fuechtbauer-Ladenbury formula. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Growth of highly sensitive thermoluminescent crystal alpha-Al2O3 : C by the temperature gradient technique

In this work, an alpha-Al2O3:C crystal with highly sensitive thermoluminescence was directly grown by the temperature gradient technique (TGT) using Al2O3 and graphite powders as raw materials. The optical and luminescent properties and the dosimetric characteristics of the crystal were investigated. An as-grown alpha-Al2O3:C crystal shows a single glow peak at 462 K and a blue emission peak at 415 nm. The thermoluminescence (TL) response of the crystal shows a linear-sublinear-saturation characteristic. In the dose range from 5 x 10(-6) to 10Gy, the alpha-Al2O3:C crystal shows excellent linearity, and saturation was observed at about 30Gy. The sensitivity of the crystal decreases as the heating rate increases. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electronic structures of wurtzite ZnO, BeO, MgO and p-type doping in Zn1-xYxO (Y = Mg, Be)

Using the density function theory within the generalized gradient approximation, the band structures of wurtzite ZnO, BeO and MgO have been calculated. The effective-mass parameters are fitted using the calculated eigenvalues. The Dresselhaus spin-orbit effect appears in the k[1 00] direction, and is zero in the high symmetry direction k[00 1]. The orderings of valence band split by the crystal-field and spin-orbit coupling in wurtzite ZnO, BeO and MgO are identified by analyzing the wave function characters calculated by projecting the wave functions onto p-state in the spherical harmonics. For wurtzite ZnO, the ordering of valence band is Still Gamma(7) > Gamma(9) > Gamma(7) due to the negative spin-orbit coupling splitting energy and the positive crystal-field splitting energy. Thus, the Thomas' conclusion is confirmed. For wurtzite BeO and MgO, although their orderings of valence bands are Gamma(7) > Gamma(9) > Gamma(7) too, the origins of their orderings are different from that of wurtzite ZnO. Zn1-x,YxO (Y = Mg, Be) doped with N and P atoms have been studied using first-principles method. The calculated results show that N atom doped in Zn1-x BexO has more shallow acceptor energy level with increasing the concentration of Be atom. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of GaN nanowires and nano-pyramids in a two-hot-boat chemical vapor deposition system via an in-doping technique

A two-hot-boat chemical vapor deposition system was modified from a thermal evaporation equipment. This system has the advantage of high vacuum, rapid heating rate and temperature separately controlled boats for the source and samples. These are in favor of synthesizing compound semiconducting nano-materials. By the system, we have synthesized high-quality wurtzite single crystal GaN nanowires and nanotip triangle pyramids via an in-situ doping indium surfactant technique on Si and 3C-SiC epilayer/Si substrates. The products were analyzed by x-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, highresolution transmission electron microscopy, energy- dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and photoluminescence measurements. The GaN nanotip triangle pyramids, synthesized with this novel method, have potential application in electronic/ photonic devices for field-emission and laser.

Synthesis of GaN nanotip triangle pyramids on 3C-SiC epilayer/Si substrates via an in situ In-doping technique

GaN nanotip triangle pyramids were synthesized on 3C-SiC epilayer via an isoelectronic In-doping technique. The synthesis was carried out in a specially designed two-hot-boat chemical vapor deposition system. In (99.999%) and molten Ga (99.99%) with a mass ratio of about 1:4 were used as the source, and pieces of Si (111) wafer covered with 400-500 nm 3C-SiC epilayer were used as the substrates. The products were analyzed by x-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence measurements. Our results show that the as-synthesized GaN pyramids are perfect single crystal with wurtzite structure, which may have potential applications in electronic/photonic devices.

In situ doping control for growth of n-p-n Si/SiGe/Si heterojunction bipolar transistor by gas source molecular beam epitaxy

N-p-n Si/SiGe/Si heterostructures have been grown by a disilane (Si2H6) gas and Ge solid sources molecular beam epitaxy system using phosphine (PH3) and diborane (B2H6) as n- and p-type in situ doping sources, respectively. Adopting an in situ doping control technology, the influence of background B dopant on the growth of n-Si emitter layer was reduced, and an abrupt B dopant distribution from SiGe base to Si emitter layer was obtained. Besides, higher n-type doping in the surface region of emitter to reduce the emitter resist can be realized, and it did not result in the drop of growth rate of Si emitter layer in this technology. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced performance of p-GaN by Mg delta doping

The electrical and structural properties of Mg delta-doped GaN epilayers grown by MOCVD were investigated. Compared to uniform Mg-doping GaN layers, it has been shown that the delta-doping (delta-doping) process could suppress the dislocation density and enhance the p-type performance. The influence of pre-purge step on the structural properties of GaN was also investigated. The hole concentration of p-GaN decreases when using a pre-purge step. These results can be explained convincingly using a simple model of impurity incorporation under Ga-free growth condition. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of doping on the crystalline quality and composition distribution in InGaN/GaN structure grown by MOCVD

The effects of Si and Mg doping on the crystalline quality and In distribution in the InGaN films were studied by atomic force microscope (AFM), triple crystal X-ray diffraction (TCXRD) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). The undoped, Si-doped and Mg-doped InGaN films were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on (0 0 0 1) sapphire substrates. The electronic concentration in the Si-doped InGaN is about 2 x 10(19) cm(-3). It is found that the crystalline quality and In distribution in InGaN is slightly affected by the Si doping. In the Mg doped-case, the hole concentration is about 4 x 10(18) cm(-3) after annealing treatment. The surface morphology and crystalline quality of the Mg-doped InGaN are deteriorated significantly compared with the undoped InGaN. The growth rate of Mg-doped InGaN is higher than the undoped InGaN. Mg doping enhances the In incorporation in the InGaN alloy. The increase in In composition in the growth direction is more severe than the undoped InGaN. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect on the optical properties and surface morphology of cubic GaN grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition using isoelectronic indium surfactant doping

The surfactant effect of isoelectronic indium doping during metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth of cubic GaN on GaAs (1 0 0) substrates was studied. Its influence on the optical properties and surface morphology was investigated by using room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) and atomic force microscopy. It is shown that the sample with small amount of In-doping has a narrower PL linewidth, and a smoother surface than undoped cubic GaN layers. A slight red shift of the near-band-edge emission peak was observed. These results revealed that, for small TMIn flow rates, indium played the role of the surfactant doping and effectively improved the cubic GaN film quality; for large TMIn flow rates, the alloying formation of Ga1-xInxN might have occurred. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.