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The role of impurities in the irradiation induced densification of amorphous SiO2

In a recent work (Buscarino et al 2009 Phys. Rev. B 80 094202), by studying the properties of the 29Si hyperfine structure of the E′γ point defect, we have proposed a model able to describe quantitatively the densification process taking place upon electron irradiation in amorphous SiO2 (a-SiO2). In particular, we have shown that it proceeds heterogeneously, through the nucleation of confined densified regions statistically dispersed into the whole volume of the material. In the present experimental investigation, by using a similar approach on a wider set of materials, we explore how this process is influenced by impurities, such as OH and Cl, typically involved in relevant concentrations in commercial materials. Our results indicate that the degree of local densification within the structurally modified regions is influenced by the OH content of the material: the higher the OH content, the lower the local degree of densification of the irradiated materials. In contrast, no relevant contribution to the densification process induced by electron irradiation in a-SiO2 can be ascribed to Cl impurities up to ppm by weight.