Effect of doping with cobalt on radioluminescence and low temperature thermoluminescence of Li2B4O7 crystals

• Radioluminescence spectra of LTB:Co have been measured at various temperatures.
• Glow curves of LTB:Co have been recorded between 10 and 300 K.
• Trap parameters related to particular glow peaks have been derived.
• Doping with cobalt has been found to deactivate some of the traps.

X-ray excited emission spectra at various temperatures, as well as low temperature glow curves of Czochralski-grown Li2B4O7:Co (LTB:Co) single crystals, have been recorded and compared with the data available for undoped LTB and LTB:Eu,Mn. Although the presence of cobalt does not influence the radioluminescence of the material, it clearly alters its thermoluminescence; specifically, the number of peaks in the glow curve of LTB:Co is reduced as against that of LTB and LTB:Eu,Mn. This observation and its possible interpretations shed new light on the issue of shallow traps in lithium tetraborate crystals.