Spectroscopic peculiarities of praseodymium impurities in Lu3Al5O12 single crystal

Spectroscopic properties of lutetium aluminum garnet Lu3Al5O12 (LuAG) single crystal doped with 1 at.% of Pr3+ were investigated. The crystal was grown by the Czochralski method. Optical absorption, emission, excitation spectra and luminescence decay curves were recorded for this system in 5-500 K temperature range. Excitation spectra in VUV-UV range (150-330 nm) were also measured exploiting synchrotron radiation. It has been found that among bands of luminescence related to the P-3(J), D-1(2) -> H-3(J), F-3(J) transition of Pr3+ in the visible region the P-3(0) -> H-3(4) one, occurring ca. 488 nm, is the most prominent. Luminescence lifetimes for the P-3(0,1) and D-1(2) levels were estimated to be 13 and 200 mu s respectively (at room temperature). VUV-excited emission spectrum stretches over the whole visible region. It has been concluded that the material under study is a promising phosphor that can be efficiently pumped by broad absorption bands centered at 240 and 280 nm. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved