Growth and optical properties of BiI3 and PbI2 microcrystals

A study has been made of low-temperature absorption and luminescence spectra of bismuth iodate microcrystals in various hosts (layered cadmium iodate, microporous glasses and polymers), as well as of the spectra of mesoscopic domains formed in bulk bismuth iodate by mechanical strains. The structure of the spectra and the quantum shifts of the exciton levels yielded information on the dimensions and size dispersion of the microcrystals and domains, as well as on the effect of microcrystal size on the Stokes losses. The quantum exciton-line shifts in microcrystalline lead-iodate films grown in pores of the glass host have been used to calculate the film thicknesses. A photoinduced change in the mechanism of radiative recombination was observed in PbI2 microcrystals. The spectrum of resonant Raman scattering in lead iodate microcrystals consists of broad bands corresponding to the branches of optical phonons undergoing strong angular dispersion. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7834(98)03409-1].