Articles
  • Photoluminescence investigations of bulk and microstructured ZnO crystals for scintillator applications
  • Melvin John F. Empizoa,*, Kohei Yamanoia, Kazuhito Fukudaa, Ren Aritaa, Yuki Minamia, Toshihiko Shimizua, Nobuhiko Sarukuraa, Tsuguo Fukudab, Alexandra B. Santos-Putunganc,d, Ray M. Vargasd, Arnel A. Salvadord and Roland V. Sarmagod
  • a Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan b Fukuda Crystal Laboratory Co., Ltd., 6-6-3 Minami-Yoshinari, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 989-3204, Japan c Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna 4031, Philippines d National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines Diliman, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
Abstract
Photoluminescence properties of bulk and microstructured ZnO crystals are investigated for potential scintillator applications. A bulk crystal is prepared by hydrothermal method, while hexagonal micron-sized crystals are prepared by aqueous chemical growth and carbothermal reduction methods. The bulk sample exhibits UV emission only, while the microstructured samples exhibit both UV and visible emissions. The ZnO microstructures have faster near-band edge emission lifetimes of 100 to 800 ps compared to 440 ps and 2 ns of bulk ZnO. No direct correlation between the defect-related emissions and the near-band edge emission has been observed. ZnO microstructures with fast luminescence lifetimes have promising applications as EUV lithography and XFELs scintillators.

Keywords: ZnO, Oxides, Microstructures, Photoluminescence, Scintillators.

This Article

  • 2015; 16(1): 98-101

    Published on Feb 28, 2015