Elaboration and characterization of a KCl single crystal doped with nanocrystals of a Sb₂O₃ semiconductor

Undoped and doped KCl single crystals have been successfully elaborated via the Czochralski (Cz) method. The effects of dopant Sb₂O₃ nanocrystals on structural and optical properties were investigated by a number of techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis, UV-visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectrophotometers. An XRD pattern of KCl:Sb₂O₃ reveals that the Sb₂O₃ nanocrystals are in the well-crystalline orthorhombic phase. The broadening of diffraction peaks indicated the presence of a Sb₂O₃ semiconductor in the nanometer size regime. The shift of absorption and PL peaks is observed near 334 nm and 360 nm respectively due to the quantum confinement effect in Sb₂O₃ nanocrystals. Particle sizes calculated from XRD studies agree fairly well with those estimated from optical studies. An SEM image of the surface KCl:Sb₂O₃ single crystal shows large quasi-spherical of Sb₂O₃ crystallites scattered on the surface. The elemental analysis from EDAX demonstrates that the KCl:Sb₂O₃ single crystal is slightly rich in oxygen and a source of excessive quantities of oxygen is discussed.