Influence of proton implantation on optical absorption of rutile

The effects of proton implantation on the optical properties of rutile single crystals were studied for the first time. The stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric rutile samples were irradiated with protons, with energy of 4.9 MeV and fluence of 1×1015 and 1×1018 m−2, respectively. UV-VIS, FT-IR and LRS were used to study the variation of optical absorption spectra and lattice vibration before and after implantation. The results showed that, for stoichiometric rutile, the optical absorption in the visible region is almost not influenced by proton implantation but that in ultraviolet region is influenced. For non-stoichiometric rutile, proton implantation induces a novel optical absorption peak in visible region. The intensity of the absorption peak depends on the fluence of implanted protons. The formation mechanism of novel optical absorption and defect structure in implanted crystals have also been discussed.