Laser-induced epitaxial recrystallization after alkali-ion implantion into α-quartz

Ion implantation and recrystallization of quartz may be a very important process for photonic applications. We have investigated how laser irradiation can be used to epitaxially recrystallize layers of α-quartz, which were amorphized by 175 keV Rb+ or 250 keV Cs+ ion implantation at a fluence of 2.5 × 1016 cm−2. The samples were irradiated with pulses of a XeCl excimer laser (wavelength 308 nm, pulse length 55 ns, energy density 3.2-5 J/cm2). The thickness of the amorphous layer and the quality of the recrystallized layer were analyzed by Rutherford Backscattering Channeling Spectroscopy. Partial epitaxial recrystallization was found for all laser-irradiated samples that proceeded faster for higher laser energy density, however no full epitaxy was achieved up to the maximum laser energy of 5 J/cm2. The degree of epitaxy was more or less the same for 20 or 200 laser shots.