Near infrared persistent luminescence of transparent Zn-Ga-Ge-O:Cr3+ glass ceramic for optical information storage

Cr3+-doped near-infrared (NIR) afterglow phosphors have received wide recognition in the optical storage field because of the high signal-to-noise ratio and broad excitation spectra. In this article, the high-temperature TL intensity of ZnGa2O4:Cr3+ afterglow glass ceramic (ZGO:Cr3+ GC) was enhanced via partial hetero-valence substitution of Ge for Ga, demonstrating the tunability of the trapped electron levels in ZGO:Cr3+ GC. The persistent luminescence phosphor ZGO:Cr3+ GC exhibits a zero-phonon lines emission peaking at 698 nm, attributing to the E-2 ->(4)A(2g), transition of Cr3+ ions. Moreover, the trap levels in Zn-Ga-Ge-O:Cr3+ glass ceramic (ZGGO:Cr3+ GC) are deeper than those of the Ge-free one and the captured electrons in deeper levels cannot be released only by the ambient thermal energy, thus the optical storage capacity of ZGGO:Cr3+ GC is much larger. By means of an additional 980 nm laser photostimulation, an intense NIR emission could be obtained. In consequence, ZGGO:Cr3+ GC has a promising application prospect in optical information storage field.

Automated summary

This article investigates the optical storage properties of Cr3+-doped afterglow phosphors, demonstrating the tunability of the trapped electron levels through partial hetero-valence substitution. The results show enhanced high-temperature luminescence intensity and larger optical storage capacity in the modified glass ceramics.