Impurity, host and defect-related luminescence of CsLaSiS4 thiosilicate crystals doped with Ce3+ ions

Abstract

Ce+3 doped CsLaSiS4 single crystals were synthesized using high-temperature flux synthesis. XRD analysis showed that the products are isostructural to CsLaSiS4 and crystallize in orthorhombic space group Pnma. Absorption spectra were studied at room temperature, and photoluminescence properties were examined in the temperature range of 5–310 K. The energy of interband transitions Eg = 3.75 eV was determined at room temperature in the Tauc model. At room temperature, only a non-elementary d → f emission band of Ce+3 ions was observed in the 520 nm region. The luminescence kinetics upon excitation by a pulsed cathode beam or X-ray synchrotron radiation exhibited a dominant nanosecond component. Decay time, as well as build-up time, decreased with increasing concentration of Ce+3 ions. Concentration quenching of Ce+3 emission was not observed up to 11.9 mol% of Ce+3 ions. At a low temperature of 5 K, new wide emission bands at 422 and 688 nm appeared in the photoluminescence spectrum. It is shown that the 422 nm band in the photoluminescence spectrum corresponds to host emission, specifically the luminescence of self-trapped excitons (STE). The 688 nm emission band corresponds to defect-related luminescence. STE emission is quenched according to the Mott law at temperatures above 26 K with an activation energy of 20 meV. An efficient energy transfer channel from the STE to the Ce+3 ion via the radiative resonance mechanism is observed. The emission of Ce+3 ions and defect-related luminescence can be excited by the intracenter way, due to electron-hole recombination, or by the creation of defect bound excitons. Based on the obtained spectroscopic data, a band scheme illustrating the processes of relaxation of electronic excitations at T = 5 K in Ce+3 doped CsLaSiS4 crystals is proposed.