Change of silica luminescence due to fast hydrogen ion bombardment

This paper deals with the luminescence of silica (KV-type) induced by beam of hydrogen ions with the energy of 210 keV per nucleon. An average implantation dose of up to 3.5 × 10²¹ cm⁻³ (5 × 10¹⁰ Gy) was accumulated during irradiation over an extended period. The luminescent spectra consisted of the blue band (maximum at 456 nm) and the red band (650 nm) in the visible range. It was shown that increase in the absorption dose had an effect on the silica luminescence. It was found that the most significant changes in the spectrum occurred during the dose accumulation in the region of 550–700 nm. The shape of the spectrum of the luminescent radiation in this wavelength range was affected both by the oxygen deficient centres (blue band) and non-bridging oxygen hole centers (red band). Mathematical processing of the experimental spectra permitted to identify contributions to the luminescent radiation coming from both types of defects.