B Yang 1,2, P D Townsend 1 and R Fromknecht 3
1
Science and Technology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH, UK
2
Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
3
Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institut für Festkörperphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter Create an alert RSS this journal
B Yang et al 2004 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 16 8377
Cathodoluminescence is an effective tool for investigating phase changes and relaxation processes in insulators and data are presented for strontium titanate. The results demonstrate considerable sensitivity to the origin of the samples as the detailed spectra and intensity changes with temperature are strongly dependent on the growth conditions, trace impurities and radiation induced defects. It is of particular note that in the defective surface layer the normal second-order phase transition cited near 105 K transforms into a sharply defined first-order transition because of the relaxation of the near surface layer in doped crystals. Detection of the other main relaxation stages is also straightforward via intensity and spectral changes. Secondary effects of phase changes incorporated within the surface layers are clearly evident, particularly for the 197 K sublimation of CO2 nanoparticle inclusions.
78.60.Hk Cathodoluminescence, ionoluminescence
64.70.K- Solid–solid transitions
Issue 46 (24 November 2004)
Received 12 August 2004
,
in final form 20 October 2004
Published 5 November 2004
B Yang et al 2004 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 16 8377
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