Thermoluminescence was studied in LiF (TLD-100) single crystals from 83 to
320 K. In this temperature range, the glow curve presents six peaks at 138,
153, 193, 260, 283, and 300 K and a seventh peak at approximately 240 K. B
ased on annealing response, linearity, phototransference, and optical bleac
hing experiments, the glow peak at 138 K was related to V-K hole centers, w
hile the remaining glow peaks were associated with electron traps, although
a clear relation between the highest temperature glow peak, at 300 K, and
electron centers could not be established with certainty. The seven glow pe
aks emit at three wavelengths, namely, 270, 300, and 420 nm. The emission b
and at 270 nm is more intense for the glow peaks at 138 and 153 K. For the
remaining glow peaks, the emission bands at 300 and 420 nm are the most imp
ortant ones. The emission band at 270 nm was related to the recombination o
f V-K holes at recombination centers other than the ones normally associate
d with the emission band at 420 nm. The emission band at 300 nm was related
to the recombination of electrons and V-K centers. It was verified that th
e glow peaks at 138, 153, 193, and 260 K obey first order kinetics. (C) 199
8 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)09623-6].