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Thermally stimulated luminescence: New perspectives in the study of defects in solids

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La Rivista del Nuovo Cimento (1978-1999) Aims and scope

Conclusions

Thermally Stimulated Luminescence is a consolidated experimental technique, that however has not been used extensively, also due to the limited physical information it was able to produce. Recently, however, an increasing number of TSL studies on various materials are presented, containing precise calculations on electronic traps and luminescence centres. These improvements are due to the more sophisticated calculation capabilities now available and to the development of new very sensitive detectors. The former point has allowed a more precise use of the fitting procedure we have described in this review, producing reliable estimations of the electronic levels involved in the TSL mechanism. The latter point brought to the design and construction of high-sensitivity TSL spectrometers, which measure the emitted TSL spectrum and allow the comparison of the detected spectra with other optical techniques’ data.

Presently, TSL, if used with a careful control of the apparatus and in parallel with other measurements, is able to supply precise data on the electronic levels of defects in materials. In this review we presented some cases in which such results have been achieved. At the same time we have tried to advice about the possibility of a deceptive use of fitting procedures, which can easily lead to incorrect conclusions.

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  1. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica della Materia, Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università di Milano, Via Emanueli 15, 1-20126, Milano, Italy

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Martini, M., Meinardi, F. Thermally stimulated luminescence: New perspectives in the study of defects in solids. Riv. Nuovo Cim. 20, 1–71 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02897907

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