Diffusion and reactions of interstitial oxygen species in amorphous SiO₂: A review

This article briefly summarizes the diffusion and reactions of interstitial oxygen species in amorphous SiO₂ (a-SiO₂). The most common form of interstitial oxygen species is oxygen molecule (O₂), which is sensitively detectable via its characteristic infrared photoluminescence (PL) at 1272 nm. The PL observation of interstitial O₂ provides key data to verify various processes related to interstitial oxygen species: the dominant role of interstitial O₂ in long-range oxygen transport in a-SiO₂; formation of the Frenkel defect pair (Si-Si bond and interstitial oxygen atom, O⁰) by dense electronic excitation; efficient photolysis of interstitial O₂ into O⁰ with F₂ laser light (λ = 157 nm, hν = 7.9 eV); and creation of interstitial ozone molecule via reaction of interstitial O₂ with photogenerated O⁰. The efficient formation of interstitial O⁰ by F₂ laser photolysis makes it possible to investigate the mobility, optical absorption, and chemical reactions of interstitial O⁰. The observed properties of O⁰ are consistent with the model that O⁰ takes the configuration of Si-O-O-Si bond. Interstitial O₂ and O⁰ react with dangling bonds, oxygen vacancies, and chloride groups in a-SiO₂. Reactions of interstitial O₂ and O⁰ with mobile interstitial hydrogen species produce interstitial water molecules and hydroperoxy radicals. Interstitial hydroxyl radicals are formed by F₂ laser photolysis of interstitial water molecules.