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.