Comparison of luminescence spectra of natural spodumene under KrCl laser and e-beam excitation

Spectral characteristics of pulsed photoluminescence (PL) and pulsed cathodoluminescence (PCL) of a natural spodumene were investigated. PL was excited by laser radiation at 222 nm with pulse duration of 10 ns at FWHM. PCL was excited by electron beams with pulse duration from 0.1 up to 4 ns and with current densities of 40–200 A/cm2. There was a dominant broad band at 600 nm due to the manganese impurity in PCL spectra. But in PL spectra, the orange band had the intensity comparable with intensities of intrinsic defect bands. At sample cooling by liquid nitrogen, the intensity of orange band in the PCL spectrum increased by two times and the short-wave shoulder of the band reduced.