Thermoluminescent and optical properties Al₂O₃:C and ZrO₂:Eu exposed to ultraviolet light

This paper reports the experimental results of studying the thermoluminescent (TL) and optical characteristics of Al₂O₃:C and ZrO₂:Eu exposed to UV light of wavelength in the range of 200 to 400 nm. Excitation spectrum was also obtained. The photoluminescence spectrum of ZrO₂:Eu induced by 275 nm UV light exhibited four maxima at 560, 575, 612, and 650 nm with the major emission at 612 nm. The TL response as a function of wavelength showed a maximun at 230 nm for Al₂O₃:C and showed four maxima at 210, 230, 260, and 300 nm for ZrO2:Eu. The glow curve exhibited two peaks at 110°C and 220°C that of Al₂O₃:C; and 120°C, 290°C, and 390°C for ZrO2:Eu, for all the wavelengths studied. The 110°C and 120°C peaks faded completely within the first 24 hours after exposure. Meanwhile, the 220°C, the 290°C and the 390°C peaks show great stability for a long time. The TL response of Al₂O₃:C exposed to 230 nm UV light was linear from 20 to 700 μJ·cm^-2 spectral irradiance; meanwhile that of ZrO₂:Eu exposed to 260 nm UV light was linear from 2.4 to 2000 μJ·cm^-2 spectral irradiance. The results showed that Al₂O₃:C crystals as well as the ZrO₂:Eu films deposited on glass substrates have the potential to be used as UV dosimeters in personal or environmental dosimetry.