Charge trapping and defect segregation in quartz

Irradiation induced charging of wide band gap materials may significantly influence the development of radiation damage and associated defect migration. Charge trapped at irradiation induced and/or pre-existing defects induces a localized electric field within the irradiated volume of specimen. The powerful combination of cathodoluminescence microanalysis and electric force microscopy allows direct monitoring of the development of the irradiation induced charge distribution and its effect on the microscopic spatial segregation of defects. These techniques have been used to demonstrate the important influence of the induced local field on the microscopic defect structure of quartz.