Optical properties of phosphorus-related point defects in silica fiber preforms

Journal Article · Sun Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2009 · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVB.80.205208· OSTI ID:21294480

Origlio, Giusy; Messina, Fabrizio; Cannas, Marco; Boscaino, Roberto; Girard, Sylvain; Boukenter, Aziz; Ouerdane, Youcef ^[1]

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1. Laboratoire H. Curien, UMR CNRS 5516, Universite Jean Monnet, 18 rue du Pr. Benoit Lauras, 42000 Saint-Etienne (France) and Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche ed Astronomiche, dell'Universita di Palermo, I-90123 Palermo (Italy)

We report an experimental study on phosphorus-related point defects in amorphous silica, based on photoluminescence, absorption, and electron spin resonance measurements carried out on P-doped SiO{sub 2} fiber preforms. By photoluminescence measurements excited by laser or synchrotron light we detect an emission band peaked at 3.0 eV with a lifetime in the range of ms. The excitation spectrum of the 3.0 eV emission consists of two transitions peaked at 4.8 and 6.4 eV, the former giving rise also to a measurable absorption band. We attribute this optical activity to a P-related point defect embedded in SiO{sub 2}, based on the spatial correlation between the emission intensity and the P doping level. A detailed spectroscopical investigation allows us to propose a scheme of the electronic levels of this P-related defect, in which the 4.8 and 6.4 eV excitation channels arise from transitions from the ground to two-excited singlet states, while the long-lived 3.0 eV emission is associated to a spin-forbidden transition from an excited triplet to the ground state. Finally, electron spin resonance measurements on X-irradiated samples lead us to propose a tentative microscopic model of the defect as a diamagnetic four-coordinated P impurity substitutional to a Si atom.

• OSTI ID: 21294480
• Journal Information: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 80, Issue 20; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.80.205208; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ABSORPTION
AMORPHOUS STATE
DOPED MATERIALS
ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
EXCITATION
FIBERS
FORBIDDEN TRANSITIONS
GROUND STATES
IMPURITIES
LASER RADIATION
OPTICAL ACTIVITY
PARAMAGNETISM
PHOSPHORUS ADDITIONS
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
POINT DEFECTS
SILICA
SILICON OXIDES
SPIN
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION