The Essence and Application of the Optical Absorption Method for Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Radiation Defects in Optical Crystals

Abstract

Today ionic crystals are widely used in devices for various purposes. In X-ray spectral optics they are widely used as crystal monochromators; ionic crystals are used in optical devices where lenses and transparent optical media (light filters) are made of optically pure materials - ionic crystals. In general, the main positive feature of these materials is transparency regarding the transmission of radiation in the visible region of the spectrum (transmittance of about 0.9) and neutrality - that is, approximately the same reaction of the medium to different spectral ranges of radiation. Ionic crystals are also widely used in detectors (scintillators, ionizing radiation dosimeters) and lasers. They are also widely used in acousto-optics and electrical engineering (lines of electrical signals delay, which gain efficiency due to the relatively small absorption of ultrasonic waves, and, therefore, it is possible to work with a wide sequence of signals probing the crystal). It is known that when ionizing radiation passes through ionic crystals, color centers appear in them, which can change the spectral composition of radiation both in the UV region and in the visible range. For example, the simplest configurations of color centers (F-centers) lead to the appearance in optical materials of additional absorption bands localized on the wavelength axis with a maximum at the wavelength lmax = 248 нм , but more complex configurations of radiation damage in solids already lead to the appearance of absorption bands at wavelengths in the visible range. This already presents some difficulties for developers and designers of relevant equipment, as changes in the spectral composition of radiation passing through the optical system of the device can lead, for example, to loss of efficiency of the selected radiation receiver, the main characteristic of which is primarily spectral sensitivity. Taking into account possible changes in the spectral composition of radiation is an important and urgent task of modern optical instrumentation. The purpose of this work is the analysis and justification of a method that takes into account structural changes in externally irradiated ionic crystals.