Near infrared luminescence of Ni and Fe doped ZnSe Crystals

Abstract A new photoluminescence band exhibiting fine structure with no-phonon line at 11178 cm -1 has been detected in ZnSe: Ni crystals. In view of the coincidence of this no-phonon line with the corressponding no-phonon absorption line this luminescence is interpreted as a 3 T 1 (P)→ 3 T 1 (F) transition at substitutional Ni 2+ (3d 8 )ions in a tetrahedral crystal field. Coincidence between absorption and luminescence exists also between the corresponding no-phonon lines of the 3 T 1 (F)↔ 3 T 2 (F) absorption and luminescence transitions indicating that T 2 is the lowest level at the 3 T 2 (F) term. Iron doped ZnSe crystals show a fine structured luminescence band including two narrow no-phonon lines at 11154 cm -1 and 11128 cm -1 . In accordance with similar experimental results using ZnS: Fe reported by Skowronski et al.[1] we interpret this luminescence as due to the 3 T 1 (H)→ 5 E(D) transition within the Fe 2+ ion at tetrahedral site.