Nanocrystal-size selective spectroscopy in SnO{sub 2}:Eu{sup 3+} semiconductor quantum dots
- Departamento Fisica Basica, Universidad La Laguna, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain)
Glass ceramics of composition 95SiO{sub 2}-5SnO{sub 2} doped with 0.4 mol% Eu{sup 3+} have been prepared by thermal treatment of sol-gel glasses. The segregated SnO{sub 2} nanocrystals present a mean size comparable to the bulk exciton Bohr radius (about 2.4 nm), corresponding to a wide band-gap quantum-dot system in an insulator SiO{sub 2} glass. A fraction of the Eu{sup 3+} ions is incorporated to the SnO{sub 2} nanocrystals in the process. In these strong confinement conditions, the energy gap presents a high dependence on the nanocrystal size. Taking advantage of this effect, it has been possible to excite selectively the Eu{sup 3+} ions located in the SnO{sub 2} nanocrystals, by energy transfer from the host, obtaining emission spectra that depend on the nanocrystal size. The Eu{sup 3+} ions environment in small nanocrystals (radius under 2 nm) are very distorted, meanwhile they are like crystalline for nanocrystals with a radius of some nanometers.
- OSTI ID:
- 20634277
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 85, Issue 12; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.1790039; (c) 2004 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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