Optical functions and time-resolved luminescence of lithium hydride single crystals upon far-ultraviolet excitation

Abstract Low-temperature reflection spectra of lithium hydride (LiH) single crystals cleaved in ultrahigh vacuum (3 × 10−10 Torr, T = 10 K), were recorded using synchrotron radiation in vacuum ultraviolet spectral region. Based on the obtained experimental data, the optical functions of LiH in the energy range from 3.7 to 35 eV were analyzed using the Kramers–Kronig relations. Time-resolved photoluminescence excitation spectra were studied in detail for the near edge free exciton-phonon luminescence at 4.67 eV and photoluminescence at 2.4 eV due to the Bi3+ impurity centers. The effect of multiplication of electronic excitations due to inelastic scattering of hot photoelectrons and hot photoholes was revealed at photon energies above 15 eV (more than 3Eg). It was found that the radiative lifetime for free excitons in LiH at 4.67 eV is less than 1 ns as low temperatures as at 10 K. The interpretation of the electronic band structure of lithium hydride in the ultraviolet and vacuum ultraviolet spectral regions were carried out on the basis of the present experimental results with the involvement of the available band structure calculations.