Electronic insulator-conductor conversion in hydride ion-doped 12CaO•7Al2O3 by electron-beam irradiation -: art. no. 022109

We report formation of persistent carrier electrons in hydride ion (H-)-incorporated 12CaO.7Al(2)O(3) (C12A7) by electron-beam irradiation. The electrical conductivity of H--doped C12A7 single crystals increases with the electron-beam irradiation dose, accompanied with a green coloration attributable to a carrier electron formation. A 25 keV electron beam with a dose of similar to500 muC cm(-2) fully converts the conductivity in surface layers to the depth of similar to4 mum. Carrier electron formation is most likely due to electron-hole pairs generated in the electron excitation volume and subsequent energy transfer to the H- ions. The estimated carrier formation yield per an incident electron is similar to30. These findings may enable a fine patterning of the conductive area without photomasks and photoresists. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.