Temperature dependence of the luminescence of nanocrystalline CdS/Mn2+ Original Research Article

The temperature dependence of the luminescence properties of nanocrystalline CdS/Mn2+ particles is investigated. In addition to an orange Mn2+ emission around 585 nm a red defect related emission around 700 nm is observed. The temperature quenching of both emissions is similar (Tq≈100 K). For the defect emission the reduction in the lifetime follows the temperature dependence of the intensity. For the Mn2+ emission however, the intensity decreases more rapidly than the lifetime with increasing temperature. To explain these observations a model is proposed in which the Mn2+ ions are excited via an intermediate state involving shallowly trapped (≈40 meV) charge carriers.