Thermoluminescence of nominally pure KTaO 3 crystals

After an exposure to ultraviolet light ( u <350 v nm) at 12 v K, weak thermoluminescence of nominally pure KTaO 3 crystals was observed within the temperature region from 13 to 65 v K for the first time. An analysis of the glow curves of integral thermoluminescence revealed five glow peaks with markedly sample-dependent intensities. Three glow peaks near 26, 31, and 58 v K at the heating rate of 0.155 v K/s correspond to thermoluminescence spectrally very similar to broad-band visible photoluminescence. The glow peaks near 26 and 31 v K were assigned to the electron release from photoinduced Ta 4+ -OH m and Ta 4+ - V O centers and the glow peak near 58 v K to the hole release from photoinduced O m centers. The glow peaks near 34 and 41 v K are connected with the structureless emission band peaking near 714 v nm at 15 v K that was observed in the emission spectra of KTaO 3 crystals for the first time.

Keywords:

• Thermoluminescence
• Photoluminescence
• Potassium Tantalate
• Photoinduced Defects