Thermoluminescence measurements, performed after γ-irradiation, could reveal the dynamic behavior of intrinsic defects or O-related defect complexes in AlN ceramics. By choosing different kinds of AlN ceramic, the basic types of O-related defect complexes (VAl–ON–3N and VAl–2ON–2N) were reflected by studying the spectra of luminescence measurements. The results of a quantum-chemical simulation indicated that the stability of the VAl–2ON–2N defect system was higher than that of the VAl–ON–3N defect system. The difference in the total energy of the 2 types of defect was 0.56eV.

The Oxygen-Related Defect Complexes in AlN under Gamma Irradiation and Quantum Chemistry Calculation. Q.Hu, T.Noda, H.Tanigawa, T.Yoneoka, S.Tanaka: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B, 2002, 191[1-4], 536-9