INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON THE OPTICAL-PROPERTIES OF LITAO3-CR

Optical absorption, photoluminescence, and luminescence lifetimes of C r3+ in LiTaO3 were studied. It was found that a relatively sharp absor ption band assigned previously to the no-phonon (4)A(2)-E-2 transition shifted by 68 cm(-1) when temperature decreased from 300 to 5 K. A sh arp, four-component emission band recorded at low temperature was assi gned on the basis of lifetime measurements to the no-phonon E-2-(4)A(2 ) transitions of Cr3+ ions in Li+ and Ta5+ sites. Frequencies of these transitions are lower than that of the sharp absorption band at the s ame temperature implying that the latter band is not the no-phonon (4) A(2)-E-2 line but it may be associated with a phonon satellite of the T-4(2) state. Strong thermal quenching of broad band luminescence of C r3+ was observed. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.