GdVO

4

:RE

3+

is a significant red-emitting material with a main emission peak at 619nm.The luminescence intensity of GdVO

4

:Eu

3+

is in the same order as that of YVO

4

:Eu

3+

. GdVO

4

:Eu

3+

has good temperature properties and higher quenching temperature than that of YVO

4

:Eu

3+

so it is very suitable for application in high temperature environment such as high-pressure mercury-vapor lamps. Usually

there are so many defects and traps in solids. Thermoluminescence(TL) is a useful tool to provide us with the information of solid defects and traps. The thermoluminescence of GdVO

4

:Eu

3+

range from 100K to 500K was detected. The sample was excited by X-ray at the temperature of 90K. The velocity of rising temperature is 0.5K/s. The result shows that there are three main TL bands peaked at 193

253 and 304K. The trap parameters are obtained from the TL curves. The trap depth is 0.39

0.47 and 0.61eV

respectively. The origination of traps has three possibilities. Firstly

the color centers such as F centers and F+ centers as a result of the volatilization of V

2

O

5

during preparation can form trap level in the forbidden band. The second

when Eu

3+

is doped into host and enter into Gd

3+

sublattice

the distortion of the lattice also can form trap level. Finally

because the sample is powder

there is many surface states which can form traps

too. Above all

the most possible reason maybe the color centers.