Photoluminescence of Cr in nanostructured AlO synthesized by evaporation using a continuous wave CO laser

Laser evaporation of an Al 2 O 3 target by a continuous wave CO 2 laser was used to obtain nanostructured Al 2 O 3 condensates with a mean crystallite size of 6 nm, one nominally pure and another doped with chromium at a concentration of 0.2 wt%. Photoluminescence of Cr 3+ was observed in all the samples of the Al 2 O 3 condensate. In all the Al 2 O 3 condensates the α-Al 2 O 3 phase, undetectable by XRD and HRTEM, was revealed by Cr 3+ probing. Photoluminescence studies with the use of Cr 3+ as a probe also revealed the - and (γ + δ)-crystal phases of Al 2 O 3 ; this finding was supported by XRD and HRTEM data. Photoluminescence of Cr 3+ in nanostructured α-Al 2 O 3 synthesized by evaporation using a continuous wave CO 2 laser.