Sub-band-gap-excited luminescence of localized states in SiO2–Si and SiO2–Al glasses

Abstract Silica glass samples doped with extra silicon (SiO 2 –Si: artificial oxygen deficiency) and with aluminum (SiO 2 –Al: Al-doped without accompanying alkali ions) were studied. The luminescence properties of these two samples are compared in the range of temperature 15–290 K under excitation of ArF excimer laser (193 nm). In both samples the luminescence of oxygen deficient centers (ODCs) is detected, i.e., emission bands in the blue at 440 nm and the UV at 280 nm. Cooling of the both samples led to strong increases of luminescence intensity down to 80 K with much smaller increases for still lower temperatures. At 290 K in SiO 2 –Si a luminescence similar to that of twofold-coordinat…