Fluence evolution of defects in α-SiO2 determined by ionoluminescence
HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics
Luminescence is a very powerful tool to analyse various types of defects in a wide range of materials; it is often applied for silica, which is a broadly used material in photonics, microelectronics, nuclear energy industry, optoelectronics and other important technological applications. In this work, a single crystalline (0001) α-SiO2 (quartz) sample has been investigated by the ionoluminescence (IL) method. In this case, intense emitted light can be observed when a 2 MeV He+ beam reaches the quartz sample. Three emission bands were found at 1.45 eV, 1.76 eV and 2.34 eV, the corresponding defects were identified as Si nanoclusters, non-bridging oxygen hole centers (NBOHC), and self-trapped excitons (STEs), respectively. The evolution of the defect related IL peaks was determined as a function of He+ irradiation fluence. To perform accurate data evaluation, the instrumental function of the applied IL set-up (collimator, optical fibers and spectrometer) was determined and taken into account. The importance of methodological issues in the IL measurement (including set-up, sample holder and proper beam settings) was also discussed. The described steps of system calibration and data evaluation are indispensable for IL spectrum analysis leading to detailed understanding of defect evolution taking place during the ion beam irradiation process.
Ionoluminescence; SiO2; Defects; Helium irradiation
E. Szilágyi, M. K. Pal, E. Kótai, Z. Zolnai, I. Bányász: Fluence evolution of defects in α-SiO2 determined by ionoluminescence. Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B.
National Research, Development and Innovation Fund
Fig4_SiO2_2023_08_08_sp_900_fitted_With various_Gauss_scanned_mod_2.opj
Fig5_SiO2_spectra_at_two different_fluences.opj