Intrinsic defects induced by β-irradiation in silica

We report an electron paramagnetic resonance study of defects induced by β-irradiation in natural and synthetic samples of high purity commercial silica. Data are collected for the E′ centers and a resonance satellite signal split by 1.36 mT. By comparison with the effects of γ-irradiation it is shown that the mechanisms of defect generation are the same for the two irradiation sources and that in the high-dose limit they involve intrinsic defects of the glassy matrix. Moreover, the high concentration of defects generated by β-irradiation modifies the EPR spectrum due to spin–spin interaction.

Erratum to ‘Raman spectroscopy of β-irradiated silica glass’ by B. Boizot, S. Agnello, B. Reynard, R. Boscaino and G. Petite [J. Non-Cryst. Solids 325 (2003) 22–28]

Raman spectroscopy study of β-irradiated silica glass

International audience; Natural and synthetic silica glass samples with different OH content have been submitted to β-irradiation at different doses from 106 to 5 × 109 Gy in a Van de Graaff accelerator. Structural changes under irradiation have been analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. The main findings are: (i) a decrease of the Si–O–Si angular dispersion and the average Si–O–Si angle as a function of dose and (ii) an increase of number of three-membered SiO4 ring concentration during irradiation. These results show therefore that purely electronic excitation from β-irradiation induces in a-SiO2 small but significant structural changes of the SiO4 membered ring statistics (size and dispersion)…