Soft X-ray stimulated luminescence microscopy and spectroscopy on Gd2O2S:Pr3+ and (Y, Gd)2O3:Eu3+ ceramics

The Hamburg soft X-ray scanning microscope at HASYLAB/DESY has been equipped with detectors for luminescence in the visible and X-ray fluorescence or backscattered radiation. The microscope is operating in the region from 20–1200 eV and uses an elliptical grazing incidence mirror to focus the soft X-rays on a spot of about 1 μm. By varying the energy of the incoming radiation, excitation spectra can be taken from small sample areas (microspectroscopy). Defect structures on polished luminescent ceramics were investigated. The influence of the Gd 4d→4f giant resonance on the luminescence signal is observed in the yield spectra and compared with our calculations.