Effects of 147 MeV Kr Ions on the Structural, Optical and Luminescent Properties of Gd3Ga5O12

Karipbayev, Zhakyp T.; Aralbayeva, Gulnara M.; Kumarbekov, Kuat K.; Kakimov, Askhat B.; Zhunusbekov, Amangeldy M.; Akilbekov, Abdirash; Brik, Mikhail G.; Konuhova, Marina; Ubizskii, Sergii; Smortsova, Yevheniia; Suchikova, Yana; Djurković, Snežana; Piskunov, Sergei; Popov, Anatoli I.

doi:10.3390/cryst16010040

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Effects of 147 MeV Kr Ions on the Structural, Optical and Luminescent Properties of Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂

by

Zhakyp T. Karipbayev

^1,*

,

Gulnara M. Aralbayeva

¹,

Kuat K. Kumarbekov

^1,*,

Askhat B. Kakimov

¹,

Amangeldy M. Zhunusbekov

¹

,

Abdirash Akilbekov

¹

,

Mikhail G. Brik

^2,3,4,5,6

,

Marina Konuhova

⁷

,

Sergii Ubizskii

⁸

,

Yevheniia Smortsova

⁹

,

Yana Suchikova

¹⁰

,

Snežana Djurković

³

,

Sergei Piskunov

^7,* and

Anatoli I. Popov

^1,7

¹

Department of Technical Physics, Institute of Physics and Technology, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Kazhymukan St. 13, Astana 010008, Kazakhstan

²

School of Integrated Circuits & CQUPT-BUL Innovation Institute, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China

³

Centre of Excellence for Photoconversion, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia

⁴

Faculty of Science and Technology, Jan Długosz University, 42200 Częstochowa, Poland

⁵

Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwald Str. 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia

⁶

Academy of Romanian Scientists, 3 Ilfov, 050044 Bucharest, Romania

⁷

Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, Kengaraga 8, Street, LV-1063 Riga, Latvia

⁸

Semiconductor Electronics Department, Lviv Polytechnic National University, S. Bandera Str. 12, 79013 Lviv, Ukraine

⁹

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), 22603 Hamburg, Germany

¹⁰

Scientific Department, Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, 69061 Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Crystals 2026, 16(1), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16010040 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 4 December 2025 / Revised: 31 December 2025 / Accepted: 31 December 2025 / Published: 3 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress of Photoluminescent Materials)

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Abstract

The optical and vibrational responses of Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ (GGG) single crystals to 147 MeV Kr-ion irradiations were systematically investigated to clarify defect formation pathways and their influence on luminescence mechanisms. Absorption spectra measured at room temperature reveal a stepwise redshift of the fundamental edge and the progressive development of a broad sub-band-gap tail between 4.4 and 5.3 eV, indicating the accumulation of F- and F⁺-type oxygen-vacancy centers and increasing structural disorder. Raman spectroscopy shows that, despite substantial track overlap at fluences up to 10¹⁴ ions/cm², the crystal preserves its phonon frequencies and linewidths, while peak intensities decrease due to a growing disordered volume fraction. Low-temperature (13 K) photoluminescence demonstrates the persistence of a dominant broad band near 2.4 eV and the emergence of an additional irradiation-induced band at ~2.75 eV whose width increases with fluence, reflecting the formation of vacancy-related defect complexes. Excitation spectra transform from band-edge-dominated behavior in the pristine crystal to defect-tail-mediated excitation in heavily irradiated samples. These results provide a consistent spectroscopic picture of ion-track-induced disorder in GGG and identify the defect states governing its luminescence under extreme irradiation conditions.

Keywords: Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ single crystals; luminescence; F centers; defects; Raman; scintillation materials

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MDPI and ACS Style

Karipbayev, Z.T.; Aralbayeva, G.M.; Kumarbekov, K.K.; Kakimov, A.B.; Zhunusbekov, A.M.; Akilbekov, A.; Brik, M.G.; Konuhova, M.; Ubizskii, S.; Smortsova, Y.; et al. Effects of 147 MeV Kr Ions on the Structural, Optical and Luminescent Properties of Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂. Crystals 2026, 16, 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16010040

AMA Style

Karipbayev ZT, Aralbayeva GM, Kumarbekov KK, Kakimov AB, Zhunusbekov AM, Akilbekov A, Brik MG, Konuhova M, Ubizskii S, Smortsova Y, et al. Effects of 147 MeV Kr Ions on the Structural, Optical and Luminescent Properties of Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂. Crystals. 2026; 16(1):40. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16010040

Chicago/Turabian Style

Karipbayev, Zhakyp T., Gulnara M. Aralbayeva, Kuat K. Kumarbekov, Askhat B. Kakimov, Amangeldy M. Zhunusbekov, Abdirash Akilbekov, Mikhail G. Brik, Marina Konuhova, Sergii Ubizskii, Yevheniia Smortsova, and et al. 2026. "Effects of 147 MeV Kr Ions on the Structural, Optical and Luminescent Properties of Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂" Crystals 16, no. 1: 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16010040

APA Style

Karipbayev, Z. T., Aralbayeva, G. M., Kumarbekov, K. K., Kakimov, A. B., Zhunusbekov, A. M., Akilbekov, A., Brik, M. G., Konuhova, M., Ubizskii, S., Smortsova, Y., Suchikova, Y., Djurković, S., Piskunov, S., & Popov, A. I. (2026). Effects of 147 MeV Kr Ions on the Structural, Optical and Luminescent Properties of Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂. Crystals, 16(1), 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16010040

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Effects of 147 MeV Kr Ions on the Structural, Optical and Luminescent Properties of Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂

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