Sol-gel preparation and phosphorescence property of Mn2+-doped zinc borosilicate glass thin films

Abstract

Mn2+-doped zinc borosilicate (ZBSM) glass thin films were first synthesized by sol-gel method. In the experiment, a thin gel film was deposited onto quartz glass substrates by dip-coating method and then heat-treated to form a Mn2+-doped zinc borosilicate glass thin film. Long lasting phosphorescence (LLP) and photo-stimulated long lasting phosphorescence (PSLLP) were found in the film sample. According to fluorescence spectra, LLP emission spectra, and PSLLP emission spectra, both LLP and PSLLP emissions are attributed to the energy level transition of 4Eg→4A1g from Mn2+. Both the phosphorescence intensity decay curves contain a fast decay component and another slow decay one. The thermoluminescence (TL) spectra show that the sample has two kinds of traps at least and their energy level values are about 0.8 eV and 1.02 eV, which could be estimated by the Randall and Willcins formula. The infrared absorption spectra (IR) consist of characteristic vibration bands of Si-O-Si, Si-O-Zn, B-O in [BO3], B-O group, and Zn-O in [ZnO4]. Moreover, image storage and logical operation of the ZBSM film were carried out successfully through an experiment analogues of optical storage.