Study of ion diffusion in superionic crystals by EPMA and local CL

In this work the effect of ionic diffusion was studied in crystals AgI, HgI2 and heterostructure Ag2Hg4I, obtained by a solid state chemical reaction (SSCR). The main aim was to characterize the structure of AgI–Ag2HgI4–HgI2 p–n heterojunction and study the influence of a high power density electron beam on the ionic diffusion rate in this system. All structures were examined by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and local cathodoluminescence (CL). Dependence of elemental distribution and CL spectra on the p–n junction distance was revealed. Diffusion of Ag+ ions was observed both in AgI crystals and through the interface of Ag2HgI4–HgI2 in HgI2 crystals.