Intrinsic defect related luminescence in ZrO2

The studies of ZrO2 and yttrium stabilized ZrO2 nanocrystals luminescence as well as yttrium stabilized single crystal luminescence and induced absorption showed that the intrinsic defects are responsible for luminescence at room temperature. These defects form a quasi-continuum of states in ZrO2 band gap and are the origin of the luminescence spectrum dependence on the excitation energy. Luminescence centers are oxygen vacancies related but not the vacancies themselves. At room temperature, in ZrO2, deep traps for electrons and holes exist. The oxygen vacancies are proposed to be the traps for electrons.