Topology-dependent thermoluminescence kinetics

Abstract

Standard one-carrier kinetic models for thermoluminescence (TL) relate to the simple trap model (STM) and the model of localized transitions (LT). This paper presents a review of TL properties in various spatially correlated systems (SCS) which span the two limiting cases. A classification of kinetic models for SCS is proposed. Numerical results are presented for the isolated clusters model (IC) and the interacting 1-D and 3-D systems. For these systems an influence of external electric field on TL is demonstrated. Analytical formulation for the IC model is possible using trap structural functions (TSF's). To calculate the TSF's (analytically or numerically) it is convenient to use their structural and symmetry properties. Analytical equations are presented also for the semi-localized transitions (SLT) model which is a generalized version of LT. It is shown that in some cases the SLT model leads to the cascade detrapping (CD) phenomenon. The CD mechanism produces very narrow TL peaks that are apparently well described by the first order kinetics with very high frequency factors and very high activation energies.