Absorption in the visible region of YSZ implanted with Ag ions

Ag ions were implanted into YSZ (yttrium-stabilized (cubic) zirconia) single crystals in two different energy regimes: kiloelectron volt and megaelectron volt. Optical absorption spectra were measured in the visible region at each stage in the annealing process of the sample. Depth profiles of Ag for the samples implanted at the energy of 20 keV were measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For the samples implanted with Ag at the low energy of 20 keV, one large absorption peak appeared in the wavelength ranging from 470 to 536 nm, depending on the dose of Ag ions. As the sample was heated to 1000 degrees C, the intensity of the absorption peak decreased gradually, but a small, broad peak remains even at the temperature of 1000 degrees C. For the samples implanted with 2.8x10(16) Ag ion cm(-2) at the high energy of 3 MeV, one broad absorption peak was observed at around 470 nm. As the sample was heated sequentially to high temperatures, the peak gradually decreased and almost disappeared at 400 degrees C. When the sample was further heated to even higher temperatures, the absorption peak at 514 nm reappeared at 1000 degrees C and grew with heating time.