Electron spin resonance study of self-trapped holes in CdWO4 scintillator crystals.

The self-trapping of holes at oxygen anions was studied by electron spin resonance in UV irradiated CdWO4 crystals. Analysis of superhyperfine interaction of the holes with 183W and 111,113Cd isotopes shows that the self-trapped hole is either delocalized in the space between two energetically equivalent nearest neighbor oxygen ions or tunnels between them. When the temperature increases above 40–50 K the self-trapped holes are thermally liberated and can be retrapped by oxygen ions perturbed by impurity ions. In case of the Nb5+ or Li+ stabilizing impurities the O- centers are thermally stable up to 160–170 K. The study of kinetic characteristics of the self-trapped holes suggests that holes leave oxygen ions by thermally assisted tunneling mechanism via two slightly different channels. Corresponding ionization probabilities are defined by the Arrhenius law with an average thermal ionization energy E=90(5) meV. Calculated pre-exponential factors, about 105 s-1, are small, which is consistent with the tunneling mechanism. Thermal stability and kinetic characteristics of the trapped holes are discussed in light of the scintillation and thermoluminescence characteristics of CdWO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]