Enhancement of near edge luminescence in cadmium ions doped CsPbCl3 single crystals

Cd2+ cation doped CsPbCl3 single crystals were synthesized, and their luminescent properties were investigated under excitation with synchrotron radiation quanta with energy greater than Eg and at a sample temperature of 12 K. Pure single crystals exhibit a narrow band of exciton emission at 416.7 nm. Doping the single crystals leads to a high-energy shift of the excitonic luminescence, the appearance of new luminescent bands, the broadening of the luminescent bands, an increase in the decay time constants, and a significant enhancement of the luminescence intensity. The observed changes in luminescent parameters upon doping are discussed in terms of the crystal structure ordering, a decrease in the number of defects responsible for capturing charge carriers at the stage of electronic excitation thermalization, and a decrease in defects that quench excitonic luminescence. Doped single crystals with decay times of the order of 0.4 ns and intensities that significantly exceed the intensity of pure single crystals can be promising scintillation materials for positron emission tomography in the time-of-flight mode.