Structural modification of C-doped SiO2 induced by swift heavy ion irradiations

Thermally grown amorphous SiO2 samples were implanted at room temperature (RT) with 120 keV C-ions to a dose ranging from 1.0 × 1016 to 8.6 × 1017C ions/cm2, then irradiated at RT with 950 MeV Pb, 345 or 1754 MeV Xe ions to a fluence in the region from 1.0 × 1011 to 3.8 × 1012 ions/cm2, respectively. The irradiated samples were investigated using micro-FTIR and micro-Raman spectroscopes. It was found that new chemical bonds such as Si–C, CC(O), CC and Si(C)–O–C bonds formed significantly in the C-doped SiO2 films after heavy ion irradiations. The evolution of Si–O–C bonds and possible mechanism of structural modification in C-doped SiO2 induced by swift heavy ion irradiations were discussed.