Stress, hydration, and optical absorption in ion-implanted aluminum oxide

The surface stress induced by energetic implants (Ar, Xe) promotes ambient hydration (max. similar to 1 at.%) into Al2O3 for collisional deposition energies of 10(21)-10(22) keV cm(-3). Al implants are anomalous in that they induce hydration above 10(21) keV cm(-3) that rises near-linearly with no saturation at the highest deposition levels (similar to 10(24) keV cm(-3)). Both Al and H produce anomalously large F-centre concentrations; stress measurements show near-coincidence behaviour reflecting their influence on O-vacancy production. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.