Study of the optical properties of fused quartz after a sequential implantation with Si and Au ions

Abstract

Implantation of Au ions into Si-implanted fused quartz strongly enhances the photoluminescence (PL) intensity around 630 nm measured after subsequent sample annealing at 900 °C. This effect is attributed to the enhancement of the formation of Si nanocrystals by the presence of Au ions and not by ion-implantation-induced defects. This conclusion was deduced by monitoring the defect formation in fused silica by 2 MeV Si ion implantation with doses ranging from 2×1016 to 1×1017 Si/cm2. Some of the 4×1016 Si/cm2-implanted samples were reimplanted at a similar depth with 10 MeV Au ions at doses of 4×1016 and 1.2×1017 Au/cm2. The absorption spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance and PL measurements show the presence of B2 and E′ matrix point defects in as-prepared Si-implanted samples. As these defects disappear after annealing at 600 °C, the presence of a strong PL peak in samples implanted and annealed at 900 °C strongly suggests that the observed luminescence is produced by Si nanoparticle formation.