Photoluminescence PL & Cathodoluminescence CL
Bombarding the surface of a material with some particle or radiation may produce the emission of electromagnetic radiation. This emission can be in the wide spectral range from ultraviolet up to infrared. This general phenomenon is known as luminescence.
The types of luminescence are generally distinguished by the type of incident radiation:
- Photoluminescence PL : Emission of light obtained by optical excitation
-Cathodoluminescence CL: Emission of light obtained by electron excitation
Both these types are similar except for the excitation of high energy electrons. CL produces all the transition to the higher energy excitation n states and induce light emission in the wide spectral range