The ultraviolet and visible luminescence of Bi3+ in the orthorhombic perovskite, GdAlO3

Abstract The spectroscopic properties of the Bi 3+ ion as a function of its concentration is examined to clarify the nature of optical transitions that are responsible for the ultraviolet (333 nm) and visible emission of GdAlO 3 :Bi 3+ . The UV band which is characterized by small Stokes shift (0.52 eV) is ascribed to emission from isolated Bi 3+ ions ( 3 P 0,1  →  1 S 0 transition). The peak emission wavelength and the width of the visible band depend on the Bi 3+ concentration. This emission is ascribed to pairs or cluster of Bi 3+ ions in the perovskite lattice. The spectroscopic properties of the pair emission in GdAlO 3 are contrasted with the impurity trapped excitonic emission in CaSnO 3 . A comparative study of the behavior of Bi 3+ luminescence in a series of materials with the orthorhombic perovskite structure is presented.