Lu₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ Fluorescent Ceramic with Deep Traps: Thermoluminescence and Photostimulable Luminescence Properties

Electron-trapping materials have attracted a lot of attention in the field of optical data storage. However, the lack of suitable trap levels has hindered its development and application in the field of optical data storage. Herein, Lu₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ fluorescent ceramics were developed as the optical storage medium, and high-temperature vacuum sintering induced the formation of deep traps (1.36 eV). The matrix based on the garnet-structured material ensures excellent rewritability. By analyzing the thermoluminescence and photostimulable luminescence, it is found that the transition of electrons provided by Ce³⁺ between the conduction band and trap levels offers the possibility for optical data storage. As evidence of its application, the optical information encoding using 254 nm light and decoding using a light stimulus and thermal stimulus were applied. These findings are expected to provide candidate material for novel optical storage technology, and further promote the development of advanced information storage technology.