Optical absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance of the E’_alfa center in amorphous silicon dioxide

We report a combined study by optical absorption OA and electron paramagnetic resonance EPR spectroscopy on the E point defect in amorphous silicon dioxide a-SiO2. This defect has been studied in -ray irradiated and thermally treated oxygen-deficient a-SiO2 materials. Our results have pointed out that the E center is responsible for an OA Gaussian band peaked at 5.8 eV and having a full width at half maximum of 0.6 eV. The estimated oscillator strength of the related electronic transition is 0.14. Furthermore, we have found that this OA band is quite similar to that of the E center induced in the same materials, indicating that the related electronic transitions involve states highly localized on a structure common to both defects: the OwSi· moiety.