Cathodoluminescence of zinc and ytterbium oxide poly- and single crystals grown from melt under high pressure

Abstract

A mixture of poly- and single crystals of zinc and ytterbium (2 at.%) oxides have been grown from the melt at high temperature (1430°C) and high pressure (3.8 GPa). The crystals were transparent under examination with naked eye. The diameter of crystals was in the range from 0.005 to 2 mm. X-ray diffraction confirmed presence of individual zinc and ytterbium oxides in recovered samples. No change of zinc oxide lattice parameters was revealed comparing to pristine zinc oxide. Cathodoluminescence spectra of the mixture were recorded at 77 and 293 K. The collected spectra exhibit UV, green and near-infrared bands due to exciton recombination, presence of oxygen vacancies and ytterbium ions in ZnO crystals, respectively.

ZnO under Pressure: From Nanoparticles to Single Crystals

“…In addition, there are no restrictions on any possible combination of several components if this is required. One example of such a growth of single crystals in the presence of other oxides was the growth of ZnO:Yb 2 O 3 single crystals from the melt of a mixture of ZnO and Yb 2 O 3 oxides (2%) at 3.8 GPa and 1700 K [87].…”