Oxygen interstitial trapping in electron irradiated sapphire

An existing model for first stage anion vacancy stabilization in irradiated alkali halides has been applied to sapphire. To monitor the F centre concentration growth during irradiation, radioluminescence instead of optical absorption measurements has been employed. The results indicate that the model is valid for sapphire and suggest that the F centre stabilization process depends on oxygen interstitial trapping. This implies that the resistance to radiation damage at low doses should depend on the impurity and dislocation content of the material. One presumes the model may be extended to other oxides. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.