Structural characterization of Lu1.8Y0.2SiO5 crystals

The structural and vibrational properties of Lu1.8Y0.2SiO5 (LYSO) single crystals were investigated by means of Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction measurements. Unit cell parameters and bond lengths were determined by Rietveld refinement of the collected x-ray diffraction powder spectra. By comparison with the vibrational spectra of the parent compounds Lu2SiO5 and Y2SiO5 and by using polarized Raman measurements, we propose the assignment of the principal vibrational modes of LYSO crystals. The strict connection of Raman spectra of the LYSO solid solution and of the pure lutetium and yttrium crystals, as well as the analysis of the polarized measurements, confirms that LYSO structure adopts the C2/c space group symmetry. The structural analogies of LYSO with the pure compound Lu2SiO5 are further shown by means of high pressure Raman spectroscopy, and the possibility of considering the LYSO crystal analogous to the LSO structure with a tensile stress between 0.25 and 0.80 GPa is discussed.