Shiny quartz: luminescence in ion-implanted and epitaxially recrystallizing α-quartz

Abstract

Ion implantation is a promising route to doping quartz with selected luminescent impurity atoms and to grow photoactive nanoparticles of them. The present work review some aspects of cathodoluminescence (CL) and epitaxy during or after Na, Rb, Cs, Ge, Ba, and Rb/Ge double implantation in crystalline α-quartz, under the conditions of dynamic, chemical or laser epitaxy. Different classes of CL bands will be discussed: intrinsic bands, which are associated with specific defects in the silica matrix, and very intense blue or violet ion-specific bands, which are related to the presence of particular implanted ions and the degree of epitaxial regrowth of the matrix. The case of double Rb/Ge implantation not only appears to be the most promising one with respect to combine a high CL output and full chemical epitaxy, but it also provides important information about the role of alkali ions and/or substitutional Ge nanoclusters for the luminescence in quartz and silica.