Optical spectra and excited state relaxation dynamics of Sm3+ in Gd2SiO5 single crystal

Abstract

Single crystals of gadolinium orthosilicate Gd2SiO5 containing 0.5 at% and 5 at% of Sm3+ were grown by the Czochralski method. Optical absorption spectra, luminescence spectra and luminescence decay curves were recorded for these systems at 10 K and at room temperature. Comparison of optical spectra recorded in polarized light revealed that the anisotropy of this optically biaxial host affects the intensity distribution within absorption and emission bands related to transitions between multiplets rather than the overall band intensity. It has been found that among four bands of luminescence related to the 4G5/2→6HJ (J=5/2–11/2) transitions of Sm3+ in the visible and near infrared region the 4G5/2 →6H7/2 one has the highest intensity with a peak emission cross section of 3.54×10−21 cm2 at 601 nm for light polarized parallel to the crystallographic axis c of the crystal. The luminescence decay curve recorded for Gd2SiO5:0.5 at% Sm3+ follows a single exponential time dependence with a lifetime 1.74 ms, in good agreement with the 4G5/2 radiative lifetime τ rad=1.78 ms calculated in the framework of Judd-Ofelt theory. Considerably faster and non-exponential luminescence decay recorded for Gd2SiO5:5 at% Sm3+ sample was fitted to that predicted by the Inokuti-Hirayama theory yielding the microparameter of Sm3+–Sm3+ energy transfer C da=1.264×10−52 cm6×s−1. It is concluded that the system under study may be of interest as a VUV-UV excited visible phosphor or laser material operating in the yellow region of the spectrum.