Carrier recombination processes and divalent lanthanide spectroscopy in YPO4:Ce3+;L3+ (L=Sm,Dy,Tm)

We studied charge carrier trapping, detrapping, and recombination phenomena in Ce3+ doped YPO4, codoped with Sm3+, Dy3+, or Tm3+. Ce ions trap the holes and Sm, Dy, and Tm trap electrons created during x-ray irradiation. By means of red to infrared stimulation, the trapped electrons can be back transferred to Ce leading to shorter wavelength Ce3+ 5d−4f luminescence. Excitation spectra for this recombination luminescence were recorded from 10 K to room temperature. It provides information on the excited state energies of divalent Sm, Dy, and Tm with respect to the lanthanide ground state energy and with respect to the mobility edge energy of YPO4. From the temperature dependence, insight is obtained on the carrier recombination pathways. We will identify temperature independent tunneling recombination, recombination by thermal excitation to the conduction band, and phonon-assisted delocalization of electrons from impurity states within the conduction band.