Radiophotoluminescence from silver-doped phosphate glass

Glass dosimeter utilizing radiophotoluminescence (RPL) is one of accumulation type solid state dosimeters, which is based on luminescence phenomenon of silver (Ag+ ions)-doped phosphate glass exposed to ionizing radiation. In this study, to clarify the emission mechanism of yellow and blue RPL peaks, optical properties of Ag+-doped glass, such as optical absorption spectrum, RPL excitation spectrum before and after X-ray irradiation as well as the lifetime of both RPL peaks are measured. From the results, we discuss the emission mechanism of yellow (peaked at 2.21 eV) and blue (peaked at 2.70 eV) RPL using a proposed energy band diagram for RPL emission and excitation in Ag+-doped phosphate glass. It is found that the radiative lifetime of blue RPL is three orders of magnitude faster than that of yellow RPL.