Thermoluminescence, optically stimulated luminescence and radioluminescence properties of Al2O3:C,Mg

The objective of this paper is to investigate the basic luminescence properties of enhanced aluminum oxide doped with carbon and magnesium (Al2O3:C,Mg), including thermoluminescence (TL), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), and radioluminescence (RL) to determine its potential for applications in radiation dosimetry. In general, the intensities of the TL, OSL, and RL signals of the Al2O3:C,Mg samples are comparable to those of regular carbon-doped aluminum oxide (Al2O3:C). The enhanced Al2O3:C,Mg samples show the presence of Mg-induced aggregate defects, mainly F2(2+)(2Mg) and F2+(2Mg) centers, with emissions at 520 and 750 rim, respectively, in addition to an increased F+-center RL emission at 325 nm when compared to Al2O3:C. In Al2O3:C,Mg with empty trapping centers, the RL intensity varies less with irradiation time than Al2O3:C, showing that the RL sensitivity of Al2O3:C,Mg is less dependent on the occupancy of the trapping states than Al2O3:C. Doping with Mg also introduces three TL peaks associated with new shallow traps. The main TL peak in Al2O3:C,Mg is narrower and shifted to a lower temperature when compared to Al2O3:C. The OSL from the Al2O3:C,Mg samples was also observed to decay faster than Al2O3:C. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.