Synthesis and optical properties of β″-alumina single crystals doped with divalent lanthanide ions

Abstract

A two-step reduction ion-exchange technique is used to synthesize stable β″-alumina single crystals containing Yb²⁺ and Sm²⁺ ions. The luminescent properties of these materials are discussed. Yb²⁺ and Sm²⁺: β″-aluminas both exhibit parity-allowed optical absorptions in the UV and visible and produce strong single-band emission. Low-lying spin-forbidden states produce complex temperature-dependent luminescence decay in Yb²⁺:β″-alumina.