III group element nitrides (AlN, hBN) – materials for gas sensing
Dr.habil.phys. B. Bērziņa (Wide Band Material Laboratory, ISSP UL)
Native defect induced luminescence of AlN and hBN was investigated in laboratory of Wide band gap materials for a many years. The luminescence and its excitation spectra were examined within a temperature region from 8 K up to 300 K, together with luminescence kinetics and infrared light absorbance. It was found that luminescence around 400 nm from the blue spectral region is sensitive to an environment surrounding the sample and the BL intensity is reduced by environmental oxygen gas. It allows adding of the hBN and AlN to the material class prospective for application in luminescent oxygen gas sensors. It was stimulated a research of the blue luminescence of these materials in order to reveal luminescence centers and mechanisms as well as to investigate the gas sensing properties of these materials.