Creation of trapped electrons and holes in alkaline-earth fluoride crystals doped by rare-earth ions

Defects in Ce3+- and Eu2+-doped alkaline-earth fluorides, created by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons with energy lower than that of the band gap, were investigated by various methods: thermostimulated luminescence, photostimulated luminescence and optical absorption. The CaF2:Eu2+ thermoluminescence curves in the range of 60–330 K due to various types of trapped holes were the same after VUV illumination as after X-ray irradiation. Thermoluminescence curves of Ce3+-doped alkaline-earth fluorides created by VUV illumination or X-ray irradiation were generally similar. However, Vk thermoluminescence peaks were absent in VUV-illuminated CaF2:Ce3+ and SrF2:Ce3+ crystals. Creation of Ce2+ characteristic bands was observed in photostimulated luminescence spectra as well as in optical absorption spectra of vacuum ultraviolet-illuminated or X-ray-irradiated Ce3+-doped crystals. The proposed mechanism of creation of trapped hole and trapped electron defects by vacuum ultraviolet illumination involves charge transfer-type transitions, in which the electron transfers from valence band to an impurity level, lying in the band gap. Comparison of all involved energies of transitions in the crystals investigated shows that the sum of all transition energies is less than that of the band gap by 1–3 eV. This energy difference can be considered as the energy of lattice relaxation around created Ce2+ or Eu+ ions.