Luminescence spectroscopy of K3WO3F3 oxyfluoride crystals

Abstract

Spectra of photoluminescence (PL) in region of 1.5–5.5 eV, PL excitation spectra (3–22 eV), PL decay kinetics, the temperature dependence of the PL were measured for single crystals and ceramics K3WO3F3 as well as irradiate ceramics K3WO3F3. Synchrotron radiation was used for low temperature PL experiments with time resolution. Single crystals are transparent in microwave, visible and near UV range, inter-band transition energy is Eg = 4.3 eV. The intrinsic luminescence of tungstates is usually ascribed to the radiative relaxation of exciton-like excitations localized on WO6 octahedra or WO4 tetrahedra. In K3WO3F3 the wide band luminescence in the region of 2.5 eV with the Stokes shift of 1.5 eV with the microsecond decay kinetics is connected with luminescence of triplet self-trapped excitons (STE). This luminescence is formed by electronic transitions in [WO3F3] octahedron. Different distortion of KWOF crystal lattice is manifested in the change of the Stokes shift of STE luminescence band. The 3.2 eV emission band in low-temperature PL spectrum with decay times of 1.8 ns and 11 ns corresponds to singlet STE luminescence. A new 2.9 eV emission band is discovered in low-temperature PL spectrum in the samples irradiated by fast electrons (E = 10 MeV, D = 160 kGy). This emission band is excited not intracenter mechanism, and through the creation of excitons bound on the defects. It is suggested that it is F-like centers of anionic sublattice induced by the mechanism of elastic collision.