Cathodoluminescence and solid phase epitaxy in Ba-irradiated α-quartz -: art. no. 014910

The luminescent properties of quartz and silica doped with photoactive ions depend on the structural and chemical properties of the matrix and doping elements. The dynamic solid phase epitaxy of alpha-quartz during Ba+-ion implantation at 300-1170 K and its relationship to cathodoluminescence emission are investigated in this work. Rutherford backscattering channeling analysis revealed that the amorphous layer created by 1x10(15) 175 keV Ba ions/cm(2) at 300 K almost disappeared when the implantation temperature was raised to 1120 K. Between 770 and 1100 K the cathodoluminescence spectra taken at room temperature exhibit dramatic changes with the implantation temperature and allow to distinguish between color centers related to quartz, ion-irradiated silica, and implanted Ba ions. After achieving almost complete epitaxial recovery, only a violet band at 3.4 eV remained, which we attribute to Ba-related luminescence centers. Samples first implanted with Ba ions and then postannealed in air or O-18(2) atmosphere up to 1320 K did not show full epitaxy of the amorphized layer. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.