Optical and structural properties of films and multilayer thin film structures with nanometer-sized LiF, CaF2 crystals

O. V. Goncharova, Vladimir S. Kalinov ( kalinov-AT-imaph-DOT-bas-net-DOT-by.gif ), A. P. Voitovich
Institute of Molecular and Atomic Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, F. Scaryna Prospect 70, 220072 Minsk, Belarus.

Artificial dielectrics are the man-made nano-structured composite materials which can be engineered to possess unique properties in reflectivity, emissivity and optical non-linearity. These synthetic dielectrics as well as semiconductor composites will also have significant applications in programmable optoelectronic and nonlinear optical devices. Additionally, the structure of micro-polarizing beam splitters possesses a broad reflectance band for the TE polarization in a wide angular range. Extra to the technological engineering of nano-structured thin film materials with predictable optical properties non-destructive irradiation can be used in a variety of ways to fabricate novel materials and integrated devices, as illustrated in the report. We report the design and fabrication of the multilayer thin film preformed materials for integrated emitters and the subsequent colouring and optical characterization of luminescence spectra of the resulting artificial dielectric structures. The preformed nonepitaxial periodic thin-film systems were prepared as irradiation sensitive materials and were used for the fabrication of integrated emitting elements with broad aperture-tunable spectra in the region 450-700nm. The emitting defects space ordering as well as optically active centers selection and emitting efficiency in such elements were directly controlled by the technologically controllable space ordering of the nanometer-sized crystals in preformed thin-film structures and by the post-growth gamma-irradiation with various exposure doses. The modification of the emission spectra in the NC-composed film structures with respect to one for single-crystal samples is determined by room-temperature comparative investigations of the photoluminescence parameters of the samples of high-pure LiF, CaF2 crystals, films and periodic thin films structures with nanometer-sized LiF, CaF2 crystals after gamma-irradiation at the same exposure conditions.