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Alloying Ga2O3 with Al2O3 or In2O3 enables control over the crystal structure and band gap, thus tuning the luminescence behaviour of dopant ions such as Cr3+ and Mn4+. While the effect of crystal field modification on Cr3+ luminescence in pristine β-Ga2O3-based host is relatively well established, the behaviours of Cr3+ and Mn4+ in solid solutions containing aluminium and indium were not as thoroughly studied. In this work, we synthesized and systematically investigated Mn4+- and Cr3+-doped oxide phosphors based on (Al1-xGax)2O3, (Ga1-xInx)2O3, and (Ga1-xAlx)2O3 compositions. Optical studies including photoluminescence (PL), PL excitation (PLE), diffuse reflection (DR), and PL decay kinetics were conducted in the 4-350 K range. For Cr3+-doped samples, persistent luminescence (PersL) and thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) after UV excitation were measured up to 600 K. Structural characterization via X-ray diffraction confirmed phase composition and cation site preference. The results demonstrate that Cr3+ and Mn4+ ions form multiple luminescent centres, whose spectral features are determined by the local crystal field, modulated via host composition. Notably, Mn4+ emission in monoclinic (Al,Ga)2O3 reveals two distinct centres, associated with Al- and Ga-rich octahedra. In contrast, in pure Ga2O3 a third Mn4+ centre emerges, likely located in tetrahedral coordination. For Cr3+, spectral deconvolution of zero-phonon lines supports the presence of Al-, Ga- and In-associated sites, each exhibiting characteristic decay kinetics and temperature responses. These findings confirm the effectiveness of chemical pressure in tailoring luminescent properties of Ga2O3-based hosts. In particular, fine-tuning host composition enables optimization of these materials as near-infrared persistent phosphors and luminescence thermometers for contactless temperature sensing.
Acknowledgements
The work was supported by the Polish National Science Centre (project no. 2024/53/B/ST11/01108) and by the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (grant no. 2020.02/0373).
References
[1] Ya. Zhydachevskyy, V. Mykhaylyk, V. Stasiv, et al., Chemical Tuning, Pressure and Temperature Behavior of Mn4+ Photoluminescence in Ga2O3-Al2O3 Alloys, Inorg. Chem. 61, 18135-18146 (2022). doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c02807
[2] V. Stasiv, Ya. Zhydachevskyy, V. Stadnik, et al., Chemical tuning of photo- and persistent luminescence of Cr3+-activated β-Ga2O3 by alloying with Al2O3 and In2O3, J. Alloys Compd. 982, 173827 (2024). doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2024.173827