Combined excitation‐emission spectroscopy of colour centres in lithium fluoride crystals

The spectral identification of several photoluminescent defects produced in LiF by ionising radiation is still uncertain because many optical transitions are possible and their different spectral features are often overlapping. Performing a conventional spectroscopic characterization requires a lot of time and intuition, but recently a more effective investigation method has been developed: combined excitation-emission spectroscopy (CEES). In this approach a large number of excitation (or emission) spectra is recorded at a sequence of emission (or excitation) wavelengths. The resulting three-dimensional data set of excitation intensities as a function of excitation and emission wavelengths, or energies, is visualized using a contour plot, where lines of equal emission intensities are drawn. For the first time this method has been successfully applied to coloured LiF crystals and films. As an example, the case of visible-emitting colour centres, absorbing in the M band spectral region in a gamma irradiated LiF crystal is reported and discussed. Spectroscopic features of well-known active defects have been confirmed, more complex centres clearly identified and other properties better clarified. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)