Low temperature thermoluminescence of quaternary thallium sulfide Tl₄InGa₃S₈

Abstract

Thermoluminescence measurements have been carried out on Tl4InGa3S8 single crystals in the temperature range of 10-300 K at various heating rates. The observed thermoluminescence spectra have been analyzed applying many methods like curve fitting, initial rise, peak shape and heating rate methods. Thermal cleaning method has been performed on the observed thermoluminescence glow curve to separate the overlapped peaks. Three distinctive trapping centers with activation energies of 13, 44 and 208 meV have been revealed from the results of the analysis. Heating rate dependence and traps distribution investigations have been also undertaken on the most intensive peak. The thermoluminescence mechanisms in the observed traps have been attributed to first order kinetics (slow retrapping) on the strength of the consistency between theoretical assumptions for slow retrapping process and experimental outcomes.