Thermoluminescence study of Al2O3 and Y3Al5O12 single crystals irradiated with reactor neutrons

Al2O3 and Y3Al5O12 singles crystals were irradiated by reactor neutrons at about 40 °C. After irradiation the generated point defects were investigated by optical absorption, thermoluminescence (TL) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. From the experimental data, it is found that 300 nm absorption band observed in Al2O3 and Y3Al5O12 crystals is attributed to Ali+ ion and O− - hole center localized near the cation vacancy respectively. It acts as hole traps with activation energies of 1.4 and 1.3 eV, respectively. Different annealing steps are observed and discussed in both Y3Al5O12 and Al2O3 crystals.