Luminescence decay kinetics of Eu3+ ions in phosphate glasses of different composition under photo- and electron excitations

Abstract

The influence of matrix composition, coactivators, and excitation method on the luminescence kinetics of Eu³⁺ ions in lithium–phosphate and lithium–phosphate–borate glasses activated by Eu, Eu/Tb, and Eu/Dy is studied. Luminescence is excited by a high current electron beam and a xenon lamp. It is found that, under photoexcitation, the europium luminescence decays more slowly than under electronic excitation. Depending on the content of cation modifiers ZnO and Li₂O, the decay time decreases with increasing amount of ZnO. The decay time weakly depends on the europium concentration. The decay of the luminescence of europium ions is well described by the Inokuti–Hirayama model.