Thermoluminescence and the relation between thermal and optical activation energies in diamond

Abstract

Glow curves were recorded for diamonds of types I and II(a) and the features characteristic to each of the types are pointed out. Thermal activation energies were determined from the various glow peaks and were compared with the optical energies obtained from the spectral response curves for optical bleaching of the glow peaks and from the photoconductivity response curves. For type II(a) diamonds the thermal energies were found to be equal to the optical energies (up to 1.5 eV). In the case of type I diamonds the thermal energies were comparatively lower and the ratio E optical/E thermal varied between 1.5 and 2.5 depending on the glow peak involved.