LiF crystals irradiated with 150MeV Kr ions: Peculiarities of color center creation and thermal annealing

Abstract Color centers in LiF crystals are studied under irradiation at room temperature with 150 MeV Kr ions in the fluence (Φ) range of 1010–1014 ions/cm2 with a beam current density of 10, 50, and 100 nA/cm2, corresponding to flux of 4.46 × 109, 2.23 × 1010 and 4.46 × 1010 ions/(cm2 × s), respectively. At Φ ⩾ 3 × 1012 ions/cm2 besides F and Fn centers also charged F 3 + centers are created. Thermal annealing of irradiated LiF crystals with Φ ⩾ 1013 ions/cm2 at 400 K leads to a decrease of F centers (due to annihilation with H centers) and an enhancement of complex Fn color centers (neutral and charged) due to interaction with thermally activated anion vacancies. Annealing LiF crystals at…

Ion track template technique for fabrication of ZnSe2O5 nanocrystals

The work was performed under the grant of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan AP05134367 and Latvian grant lzp

Color centers and nanodefects in LiF crystals irradiated with 150MeV Kr ions

Abstract The modifications of structure, optical and nano-mechanical properties of LiF crystals after irradiation with 150-MeV Kr +14 ions at a fluence of 6 × 10 12  ions cm −2 have been studied using optical absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron and atomic force microscopy, and nanoindentation. Optical spectroscopy shows the saturation of F centers and a comparatively high number of F n centers. AFM and SEM imaging reveals a nanostructured region with columnar nanocrystallites (size 30–90 nm). Nanostructuring occurs in depths up to 10 μm, where the ion energy loss surpasses a critical threshold of about 10 keV/nm. At a lower energy loss a zone enriched with dislocations is observed. S…

Investigation of Critical Points of Pore Formation Voltage on the Surface of Semiconductors of A3B5 Group

In this work, critical values of pore-formation in electrochemical machining of semiconductors of A 3 B 5 group are studied. On the example of indium phosphide, the indicators of the series of dependence of current density on the voltage of anodization are studied. The rates of current density increase in the regime of gradual rise of anodization voltage are determined. According to these indicators, the intervals are established, within which the active pore-formation occurs on the surface of semiconductor.

Ab initio calculations of MgF2 (001) and (011) surface structure

We present the results of calculations of surface relaxations, rumplings, and charge distribution for the MgF2 (0 0 1) and (0 1 1) surfaces using ab initio code Crystal-2003 and the hybrid exchange-correlation B3PW functional. These two neutral and polar surfaces show very small relaxation and negligible increase of covalent contribution to the chemical bonding thus remaining considerably ionic. The calculated bulk optical band gap is in a good agreement with the experimental value, whereas optical band gap for the polar (0 1 1) surface is reduced by 0.6 eV compared with the calculated bulk value, in contrast to the (0 0 1) surface gap which remains very close to the bulk.

Ab initio calculations of the atomic and electronic structure of MgF2 (011) and (111) surfaces

Abstract The results of ab initio slab calculations of surface relaxations, rumplings and charge distribution for the different terminations of the MgF2 (011) and (111) polar surfaces are presented and discussed. We have employed the computer code CRYSTAL with the Gaussian basis set and the hybrid B3PW exchange-correlation functional. Despite the ionic nature of the chemical bonding at both surfaces, a considerable decrease of the optical band gap is predicted (1.3 eV or 10%) for the (111) surface as compared to the bulk.

First‐principles modeling of the H color centers in MgF 2 crystals

MgF2 with a rutile structure is important wide-gap optical material with numerous applications. We present and discuss the results of calculations for basic hole defects – interstitial F atoms (called also the colour H centers). This study is based on the large scale ab initio DFT calculations using hybrid B3PW exchange-correlation functional as implemented into CRYSTAL computer code. The electronic structure, atomic geometry, charge density distribution are calculated and compared with similar defects in CaF2 fluorite. It is shown that the H centers oriented nearly parallel to the (110) axis are energetically more favourable than those oriented along the (001) axis, in agreement with exper…

Color centers and structural damage in LiF induced by 150 MeV Kr ions

Color centers and evolution of structure defects were investigated in LiF crystals irradiated at room temperature with 150 MeV 84Kr ions with a beam current of 10nA/cm2 in the fluence range 1011 - 1014 ions/cm2 at the cyclotron accelerator DC-60 (Astana, Kazakhstan). At the fluence of 1011 ions/cm2, SEM imaging revealed mainly formation of etchable ion tracks. Above this fluence, severe structural modifications in the irradiated layer were observed which include the ion-induced formation of dislocations and grains with nano-scale dimensions. The role of fluence in the concentration of electronic color centers and structural modifications is discussed.

EPR and optical spectroscopy of neutron-irradiated Gd3Ga5O12 single crystals

Abstract In this paper, we have performed comparative analysis of EPR, optical absorption (OA) and luminescence spectra for a series of Gd3Ga5O12 (GGG) single crystals irradiated with fast neutrons with fluencies varied from 1016 to 1020n/cm2. In a crystal irradiated with the maximum neutron fluence, the EPR spectra demonstrated the formation of several paramagnetic defects. In particular, EPR spectrum shows a strong resonance at (effective) g ≈ 1.4 with practically isotropic behavior in the crystal rotation around the [1 1 1] direction (magnetic field being perpendicular to [1 1 1]) and several weaker lines in the g ≈ 1.1–2.6 region, which show more pronounced angular dependences. While th…

Ion-Track Template Synthesis and Characterization of ZnSeO3 Nanocrystals

A.I.P. thanks the Institute of Solid-State Physics, University of Latvia. ISSP UL as the Center of Excellence is supported through the Framework Program for European universities. The work was carried out within the framework of the grant AP05134367 of the Ministry Funding: The work was carried out within the framework of the grant AP05134367 of the Ministry of education and Science Science of of the Republic Republic of Kazakhstan.

Depth profiles of aggregate centers and nanodefects in LiF crystals irradiated with 34 MeV 84Kr, 56 MeV 40Ar and 12 MeV 12C ions

I. Manika, J. Maniks and R. Zabels acknowledge the national project IMIS2. A. Dauletbekova, A. Akilbekov, M. Zdorovets and A. Seitbayev acknowledge the GF AP05134257of Ministry of Education and Science the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Formation of dislocations and hardening of LiF under high-dose irradiation with 5–21 MeV 12C ions

R. Zabels, I. Manika, J. Maniks, and R.Grants acknowledge the national project IMIS2, and A. Dauletbekova, M. Baizhumanov, and M. Zdorovets the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the financial support.

MeV-energy Xe ion-induced damage in LiF: The contribution of electronic and nuclear stopping mechanisms

The contribution of electronic and nuclear damage mechanisms in the modification of structure and micromechanical properties of LiF crystals irradiated with 52, 224, and 450 MeV Xe ions at fluences 1010–1014 ions cm−2 has been studied. The ion-induced formation of dislocations and hardening in LiF at fluences above 1010 ions cm−2 has been observed. The depth profiles of nanoindentation show a joint contribution of electronic excitation and nuclear (impact) mechanisms to the ion-induced hardening. The electronic excitation mechanism dominates in the major part of the ion range while the impact mechanism prevails in a narrow zone at the end of the ion range. The efficiency of hardening produc…

Modification of LiF structure by irradiation with swift heavy ions under oblique incidence

The structural modifications of LiF irradiated with swift heavy ions under oblique angles have been investigated using AFM, SEM, chemical etching, nanoindentation and optical absorption spectroscopy. LiF crystals were irradiated under incidence angles of 30 and 70 degrees with 2.2 GeV Au (fluence 57?l011 ions-cm2) and 150 MeV Kr ions (fluence 1012?1014 ions?cm?2). Structural study on sample cross-sections shows that two damage regions ? (1) nanostructured zone and (2) dislocation ? rich zone, which are typical for irradiations at normal incidence, appear also in samples irradiated under oblique angles. However in the latter case a more complex structure is formed that leads to stronger ion-…

CdTe Nanocrystal Synthesis in SiO 2 /Si Ion‐Track Template: The Study of Electronic and Structural Properties

Morphology Study of the Porosity of the GaP Surface Layer Formed on the Surface of a Single Crystal by Electrochemical Etching

The article analyzes the morphological characteristics of a porous GaP surface layer formed on the surface of monocrystalline gallium phosphide by electrochemical etching. The correlations between the etching time and the appropriate size, shape and density of pores have been established and studied in detail.

Nanostructure Formation on ZnSe Crystal Surface by Electrochemical Etching

The article describes a simple method for nanostructuring the surface of monocrystalline zinc selenide. It is shown that the traditional electrochemical etching of n-ZnSe (111) samples in a concentrated solution of nitric acid leads to the appearance of massive etching pits and small pores on the surface. The dynamics of the process and stages of crystal dissolution has been studied. It is assumed that the porous zinc selenide obtained in this way can be used in optoelectronic structures, as well as as buffer layers for growing zinc oxide.

Ion track template technology for fabrication of CdTe and CdO nanocrystals

Abstract CdTe and CdO nanocrystals were synthesized by chemical deposition into a-SiO2/n-Si ion track template formed by 200 MeV Xe ion irradiation with the fluence of 108 ions/cm2. Depending on the temperature of the solution CdTe + CdO and single-phase CdO with a hexagonal crystal structure were obtained, respectively. The study of the current – voltage characteristics of the obtained structure with the single-phase CdO allows us to estimate the number of grain boundaries and the height of the potential barrier, as well as the n-type conductivity.

Luminescence of F2 and F3 + centres in LiF crystals irradiated with 12 MeV 12C ions

Dependences of the nanohardness and photoluminescence of F 2 and F 3 + centers on the depth in LiF crystals irradiated with 12 MeV 12 C ions to fluences 10 10 -10 15 ions/cm 2 were studied using laser scanning confocal microscopy, luminescent spectroscopy, and the nanoindentation method. The nanohardness measurements showed a significant hardening effect at the end of the ion run with the dominant contribution of defects formed by the mechanism of elastic collisions. The observed attenuation of the luminescence intensity at high fluences is associated with the intense nucleation of dislocations as traps for aggregate color centers.