Effect of ultraviolet irradiation on the luminescence and optical properties of ZnS: Mn films

Changes have been observed and investigated in the electrooptic properties of ZnS: Mn films used in thin-film electroluminescent structures as a result of irradiation by ultraviolet pulses with energies per pulse much smaller than the threshold energy of laser annealing. It is found that in disordered ZnS: Mn films processes of defect generation are important even for below-threshold energies of the ultraviolet radiation pulses, and can facilitate the effective diffusion and activation of Mn atoms in the ZnS lattice. It is shown that short-time ultraviolet processing of thin-film electroluminescent structures improves their characteristics and, by making the preparation technology simpler and cheaper, allows structures with detector characteristics to be fabricated on low melting-point substrates.