Spectroscopy and Structure of Nd~(3+) Activator Centers in Stabilized Cubic ZrO_2

摘要

The nonuniformly broadened spectra of Nd~(3+) in ZrO_2-Y_2O_3-Nd_2O_3 crystals are studied using selective excitation, different time delays, and measurements of the excited-state lifetime at 77 K. Three basic types of optical spectra are identified and are assigned to three basic configurations of the nearest neighbor environment of Nd~(3+): sevenfold coordination and eightfold coordination with and without an oxygen vacancy among its second neighbors.