Thermoluminescent response of gamma irradiated Na^(+)–Cu^(+) ionexchanged silicate glass in large dose range

The introduction of metals into vitreous matrices is the origin of various interesting phenomena;in particular,the presence of copper ions in glass has been the subject of considerable research because of its numerous applications.The ion-exchange process is primarily used to introduce copper ions into glass matrices.The thermoluminescence(TL)of silicate glass was studied to evaluate its potential as gamma-sensitive material for dosimetric applications;the effect of copper doping on the thermoluminescent sensitivity was investigated using the Cu-Na ion-exchange technique for different concentrations and doping conditions,over a wide dose range of 10 mGy to 100 kGy.The results showed that Cu doping significantly improved the sensitivity of the glasses to gamma radiation.After the ion-exchange,two peaks appeared in the glow curves at approximately 175 and 230°C,respectively,which possibly originated from the Cu^(+) centers,along with a weak TL peak at around 320℃.We also attempted to explain the origin of the observed thermoluminescence by exploiting the Electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR)spectra.The results clearly show quenching of the TL emission with increasing copper concentrations.The present work indicates that the thermoluminescence response of these glasses to gamma rays can be reasonably measured in the range of 0.001-100 kGy.This study also facilitates the understanding of the basic TL mechanism in this glass system.

Spectroscopic Properties and Judd-Ofelt Theory Analysis of Er^(3+)-Doped Heavy Metal Oxyfluoride Silicate Glass

Er^(3+)-doped heavy metal oxyfluoride silicate glass was fabricated and characterized, and the absorption spectrum and fluorescence spectrum of the glass were studied. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Ω_t (t =2, 4, 6), spontaneous transition probability, fluorescence branching ratio and radiative lifetime of each energy levels for Er^(3+) were calculated by Judd-Ofelt theory, and stimulated emission cross-section of (()~4I_(13/2))→(()~4I_(15/2)) transition was calculated by McCumber theory. The results show that fluorescence full width at half maximum and stimulated emission cross-section of Er^(3+)-doped heavy metal oxyfluoride silicate glass are broad and large, respectively. Compared with other host glasses, the gain bandwidth property of Er^(3+)-doped heavy metal oxyfluoride silicate glass is close to those of tellurite and bismuth glasses, and has advantage over those of silicate, phosphate and germante glasses.

Green and red up-conversion emissions and thermometric application of Er^(3+) -doped silicate glass

The green and red up-conversion emissions centred at about 534, 549 and 663 nm of wavelength, corresponding respectively to the ^2H11/2 → ^4I15/2, ^4S3/2 → ^4I15/2 and ^4F9/2 → ^4I15/2 transitions of Er^3＋ ions, have been observed for the Er^3＋-doped silicate glass excited by a 978 nm semiconductor laser beam. Excitation power dependent behaviour of the up-conversion emission intensity indicates that a two-photon absorption up-conversion process is responsible for the green and red up-conversion emissions. The temperature dependence of the green up-conversion emissions is also studied in a temperature range of 296-673 K, which shows that Er^3＋-doped silicate glass can be used as a sensor in high-temperature measurement.

Properties of Local Structure Surrounding Eu^(3+)Ion in Various Niobate-Silicate Glasses

A Series of niobate silicate glasses doped with Eu 3+ ions were prepared. The emission, phonon side band spectra, fluorescence line narrowing spectroscopy and fluorescence lifetimes in these glasses were studied. The intensity parameters and crystal field parameter of Eu 3+ were obtained. The results indicate that the intensity ratio of the electric dipole to magnetic dipole transition and the intensity parameter Ω 2 increase with the increasing concentration of Nb 2O 5, indicating that the symmetry becomes lower, the Eu O bonds become stronger and the covalency of Eu O bond increases. The value of B 20 decreases with the increasing concentration of Nb 2O 5, indicating that the distance between the Eu 3+ ion and oxygen decreases and the Eu O bond becomes strong, corresponding to the results of the former. As the concentration of Nb 2O 5 increases, the electron phonon coupling becomes stronger, thus the nonradiative transition rate of 5D 0 becomes larger and the lifetime of 5D 0 becomes shorter.

Broadband Near-Infrared Emission from Transparent Ni^2＋ -Doped Sodium Aluminosilicate Glass Ceramics

Broadband near-infrared emission from transparent Ni^2＋-doped sodium aluminosilicate glass-ceramics is observed. The broad emission is centred at 1290nm and covers the whole telecommunication wavelength region （1100- 1700hm） with full width at half maximum of about 340hm. The observed infrared emission could be attributed to the 3T2（F） → 3A2（F） transition of octahedral Ni^2＋ ions that occupy high-field sites in nanocrystals. The product of the lifetime and the stimulated emission cross section is 2.15 × 10^-24 cm^2s. It is suggested that Ni^2＋- doped sodium aluminosilicate glass ceramics have potential applications in tunable broadband light sources and broadband amplifiers.

Corrosion mechanism of HVOF silicate glass coating in 5% NaCl solution

On the basis of good anticorrosion capability of silicate glass,silicate glass coating was sprayed by high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) and the corrosion mechanism in 5% NaCl solution was studied. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) ,energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) ,X-ray diffraction (XRD) and potentiom- eter were used to study the coating composition and corrosion process. The result shows that silicate glass coating is entirely noncrystallizable. Silicate glass coating has very low incidence of hole with compact structure. Electric double-layer can form at coating/solution interface and corrosive solution performs as a lead connecting the coating surface and substrate after permeating through glass coating. The corrosion mechanism of silicate glass coating is similar to that of glass and the entire corrosion process can be divided into some states. The whole corrosion process happens in glass coating without substrate basically. The fluctuation of the self-corrosion potential about glass coating in corrosion solution can help to research the corrosion process.

XPS and Raman studies of electron irradiated sodium silicate glass

The microstructure modifications of sodium silicate glass induced by 1.2-MeV electron irradiation are studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Depth profile analyses are also performed on the irradiated glass at 109 Gy. A sodium-depleted layer with a thickness of a few tens of nanometers and the corresponding increase of network polymerization on the top surface are observed after electron bombardment, while the polymerization in the subsurface region has a negligible variation with the irradiation dose. Moreover, the formation of molecular oxygen after electron irradiation is evidenced, which is mainly aggregated in the first two-micron-thick irradiated glass surface. These modifications are correlated to the network relaxation process as a consequence of the diffusion and desorption of sodium species during electron irradiation.

STUDY ON THE POLYMERIZATION DEGREE OF SILICATE ANIONS IN THE SILICATE GLASS BY TRIMETHYLSILYLATION METHOD

In the present paper,a mixed solvent method is applied to the trimethylsilylation of silicate glass,and the polymerization degree and its distribution of silicate anions in the silicate glass are measured by means of the analyses of gas chromatography-mass spectrography.

Formation of Na_(1+x)V_3O_8 Nanoribbon Thin Film from V_2O_5 Xerogel on Sodium Silicate Glass Substrate

Na1＋xV3O8 nanoribbon thin film was successfully fabricated by annealing the V2O5 xerogel film on sodium sili-cate glass substrate at 450℃. It has been identified that the amount of sodium ions diffused into the V2O5 xerogel film increases with the high temperature of annealing treatment. The sodium glass substrate serves as a limited sodium source to induce the transformation from V2O5 to Na1＋xV3O8.

Effect of Pb Ions on the Ionic Conductivity of Some Silicate Glass Systems

Conductivity of glasses in the systems SiO2.PbO.RO, (where R=Ca, Sr or Ba) was investigated between room temperature and 530 K. The dependence of log resistivity as well as the activation energy on the PbO content has been studied. Based on the present experimental results, the possible different conduction mechanisms in such glasses are discussed. It was postulated that Pb2+ ions may represent the major charge carrying species in these glasses. This assumption was confirmed by the calculations of the mean distance between the interstitial Pb2+ ions and the effective center of the O2- ions in the glass networks. The variation in the values of the density and the molar volume with PbO content is also discussed in view of the obtained activation energies for the studied glass-systems.

Space-selective Precipitation and Dissolution of Ag and Au Nanoparticles in Silicate Glasses by Femtosecond Laser Irradiation

In Ag^＋ and Au^3＋ co-doped silicate glass sample, we realized controllable precipitation and dissolution of Ag and Au nanoparticles. A new method was proposed for separate precipitation of Ag and Au nanoparticles in different areas of the same sample through femtosecond laser irradiation and further annealing; different colors were obtained in the same glass. We also studied the laser dissolution of Ag and Au nanoparticles in the Ag^＋ and Au^3＋co-doped silicate glass. The mechanism of the phenomena we observed was discussed briefly.

Structures of Sodium Silicate Glass

The structural model of sodium silicate glass plays a crucial role in understanding the properties and the nature of binary glass and other more complicated silicate glasses.This work proposes a structural model for sodium silicate glass based on the medium-range ordering structure of silica glass and the information found from the Na_(2)O-SiO_(2) phase diagram.This new model is different from previous ones.First,the sodium silica glass is both structurally and chemically heterogeneous on the nanometer scale.Secondly,the sodium cation distribution is Na_(2)O concentration-dependent.In order to reflect the structural change with Na_(2)O concentration,it requires two different schematic graphs to present the glass structure.The model can be extended to other binary and multiple component silicate glasses and can be experimentally verified.

Effect of rare earths on viscosity and thermal expansion of soda-lime-silicate glass

Viscosity of soda-lime-silicate glass doped with rare earth oxides(Pr6O11,Eu2O3,Yb2O3) was investigated by the rotating crucible viscometer,the melting temperature and activation energy for viscous flow of the studied melt were derived on the basis of the Arrhenius Equation,the coefficient of thermal expansion,glass transition temperature and dilatometric softening temperature were also determined with dilatometry,in order to reveal the effects of rare earth elements on the behavior of soda-lime-silicate glass.The results showed that introduction of rare earth oxides decreased the viscosity of soda-lime-silicate glass and melting temperature of corresponding melt,increased coefficient of thermal expansion of soda-lime-silicate glass.The glass transition temperature,dilatometric softening temperature,and melting temperature of soda-lime-silicate glass doped with rare earth oxides increased with increasing cationic field strength of corresponding rare earth ions.

Radiation induced color centers in cerium-doped and cerium-free multicomponent silicate glasses

The effect of doped cerium on the radiation-resistance behavior of silicate glass was investigated in our work. The ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra and electron paramagnetic resonance（EPR） spectra were obtained after the cerium-rich and cerium-free multicomponent silicate glasses（K509 and K9） were irradiated by gamma rays with a dose range from 10 to 1000 kGy. The results showed that E’ center, oxygen deficient center（ODC） and non-bridging oxygen hole center（HC1 and HC2） were induced in K9 and K509 glasses after radiation. The concentrations of all color centers presented an exponential growth with the increase of the gamma dose. Moreover, the concentration of HC1 and HC2 in cerium-doped K509 glass was much lower than that in cerium-free K9 glass at the same dose of radiation, which could be attributed to the following mechanism： Ce3＋ ions capturing holes then forming Ce3＋＋ centers inhibited the formation of hole trapped color centers（HC1 and HC2） and Ce4＋ ions capturing electrons to form Ce3＋ centers suppressed the formation of electron trapped color centers like E’ center.

Influence of CeO_2 on scintillating properties of Tb^(3+)-doped silicate glasses

A series of Tb3+-,Ce3+-doped,and Tb3+/Ce3+-codoped silicate glasses were synthesized by melt-quenching technique.Some properties of the investigated glasses were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),photoluminescence(PL),X-ray excited luminescence(XEL) and thermoluminescence(TL) spectra.The result of XPS revealed that both Ce3+ and Ce4+ ions coexisted in these silicate glasses,and energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ ions was observed under UV excitation.However,under X-ray excitation the XEL...

Enhanced 1.8 μm emission in Er^(3+)/Tm^(3+) co-doped lead silicate glasses under different excitations for near infrared laser

A detailed study of the fluorescence emission properties and energy transfer mechanism in Er^（3＋）/Tm^（3＋） co-doped lead silicate glasses was reported. Enhanced near infrared 1.8 μm and visible up-conversion emissions were investigated under 808 and 980 nm excitations, respectively. The energy transfer mechanism between Er^（3＋） and Tm^（3＋） was analyzed according to the absorption spectra, the emission spectra and the level structures of Er^（3＋） and Tm^（3＋）. The energy transfer efficiency between Er^（3＋） and Tm^（3＋） reached 68.1% in the Er^（3＋）/Tm^（3＋） co-doped lead silicate glasses when pumped by 808 nm laser diode. Based on the absorption spectra, the Judd-Ofelt parameters, spontaneous emission probability, absorption and emission cross sections, gain coefficients were calculated and analyzed. It was found that the calculated emission cross section and the maximum gain coefficient around 1.8 μm were 4.9×10^（–21）cm^2 and 1.12 cm^（–1）, respectively. These results indicated that the Er^（3＋）/Tm^（3＋） co-doped lead-silicate glasses had potential application in near infrared lasers.

Tm^(3+)-Doped Oxyfluoride Silicate Glasses for TDFA

The fluorine doping along with heavy metal oxides was remarkably raised the lifetime and the quantum efficiency of 3H4 in silicate glasses. The fluorine doping changed the local structure around Tm3+ ions, then low energy vibrations related to fluorine are considered to largely reduce the multi-phonon relaxation rates in the oxyfluoride silicate glasses.

Effect of yttrium oxide addition on absorption and emission properties of bismuth-doped silicate glasses

Y/Bi co-doped silicate glasses were prepared,and the effects of Y 2 O 3 on the absorption and emission properties were investigated by spectrum measurement.It was found that the absorption intensity in visible region decreases with increase of Y 3＋ concentration in（70-x）SiO 2 xY 2 O 3-30CaO-1.5Bi 2 O 3（x=0 mol.%,1 mol.%,3 mol.%,5 mol.%,7 mol.%） glasses.The emissions centered at 410,630,1200 and 1290 nm were observed under 280,470,514 and 808 nm excitation,respectively.The emission intensity had the similar change tendency in the visible and near infrared region.We also discussed the actual role of Y 3＋ ions playing in the visible and near infrared emissions of the silicate glasses.

Broadband Infrared Luminescence of Ni^2＋ in Petalite-Type Transparent Glass Ceramics

Transparent Ni^2＋-doped magnesium aluminosilicate glass ceramics are prepared. The formation of petalite-type crystallites in the glass ceramics is confirmed by x-ray diffraction. Broadband infrared luminescence centred at around 1235nm with full width at half maximum （FWHM） of about 300nm is observed from the Ni^2＋-doped glass ceramics. The observed infrared emission could be attributed to the ^3T2（F） → ^3A2（F） transition of octahedral Ni^2＋ ions in petalite-type crystallites. Theproduct of the fluorescence lifetime and the stimulated emission cross sections is 1.2 ×10-24 cm^2s.

Emitter Quality Optimization Using Lightly Doped Phosphorus Diffusion and Thermal Oxide Anneal for Cell Efficiency Improvement in Multi-Crystalline Black Silicon Solar Cells

Improving solar cell performance by increasing solar cell efficiency by various process optimization had always been a simple straight-forward methodology followed in a R&D or in a solar cell manufacturing company. This is also the most cost-effective practice to improve a product performance using the same technology without the need to procure alternative or expensive raw materials or by adopting advanced solar cell processing techniques. Aluminium Back Surface Field (Al-BSF) technology using multi-crystalline wafers (mc-Si) had been a well-established and a dominant product in the solar industry for more than two decades. However, as the industry progresses, the demand for high efficiency solar cells and modules started going up and full area Aluminium BSF based cells suffers from a lot of inherent limitations on cell efficiency. This is primarily due to the intrinsic high density of crystal lattice defects or otherwise called as grain boundary defects present dominantly only in mc-Si wafers. These grain boundaries tends to accumulate several defects and become trap centres which cause high recombination for minority carriers thereby exhibiting lower conversion efficiency and higher dispersion in electrical parameters in batches of tested cells. Years of research using this material have helped to derive the maximum benefits using this mc-Si wafer in producing industrial full area BSF cells and we can say with certainty that the efficiency potential has reached the saturation point with this technology. An interesting development that happened in the area of improving the final product performance using mc-Si wafers at both cell and module level, is by replacing the conventional acid texturing process with an introduction of a nano-texturing process called Metal Catalysed Chemical Etching (MCCE) using specialized chemicals which improves the light trapping capabilities by creation of inverted pyramid texture on the silicon wafer surface and thereby enabling the wafers to absorb sunlight over a broader range of wavelength and incident angle. With this development done in mc-Si wafers in recent past, it is still a daunting task to surpass cell efficiencies beyond 19.0% using this wafer source. Hence for cell manufacturing lines which use mc-Si wafers, there is always a constant need to improve the cell manufacturing processes to reduce the impact of poor intrinsic quality of mc-Si wafers and improve the final product performance without adding any significant cost factor.