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We explore the interrelationships between the green 510 nm emission, the free-carrier concentration, and the paramagnetic oxygen-vacancy density in commercial ZnO phosphors by combining photoluminescence, optical-absorption, and electron-paramagnetic-resonance spectroscopies. We find that the green emission intensity is strongly influenced by free-carrier depletion at the particle surface, particularly for small particles and/or low doping. Our data suggest that the singly ionized oxygen vacancy is responsible for the green emission in ZnO; this emission results from the recombination of a photogenerated hole with the singly ionized charge state of this defect.
Vanheusden et al. (Wed,) studied this question.