OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF DEFECTS IN SILICA

Abstract

The optical properties of point defects are frequently the most important parameter in applications of glassy silica. They are relatively easy to measure on standard spectrophotometers and yield direct information on the quality of practical silica-based devices, e.g., attenuation of fiber-optic waveguides or ultraviolet (UV)- transmitting windows. However, optical measurements alone usually do not give enough information to establish the origin and atomic structure of the respective point defects.