Luminescence from oxygen vacancies in Lu${}_2$SiO${}_5$ crystal and ceramics at room temperature

Abstract

Photoluminescence (PL) of Lu${}_2$SiO${}_5$ crystal and ceramics with a high concentration of oxygen vacancies (about ~0.5 at.%) is studied. Oxygen vacancies were created using two ways. The first method is a growth of crystal from the non-stoichiometric Lu${}_2$Si${}_{0.98}$O${}_{4.96}$ melt and the second one is a doping of Lu${}_2$SiO${}_5$ matrix with divalent Ca${}^{2+}$ ions at the concentration of 1 at.%. For the first time we observe a fairly bright room-temperature ultraviolet PL of both crystal grown from the Lu${}_2$Si${}_{0.98}$O${}_{4.96}$ melt and Lu${}_2$SiO${}_5$ ceramics doped with Ca${}^{2+}$ ions. A band at 290 nm in the PL spectrum of the crystal and a band at 283 nm in the PL spectrum of the calcium-doped ceramics are observed. The spectral and kinetic properties of these bands are close to each other. This fact indicates similar origins of these bands. The results of the work show that the studied ultraviolet luminescence is related to oxygen vacancies in lutetium oxyorthosilicate.