The effects of pre-irradiation by ArF excimer laser, and of thermal annealing, upon photo-induced defect creation in synthetic silica glass were investigated by performing optical absorption measurements. It was confirmed that the durability of ArF excimer laser irradiation could be improved via pre-irradiation, followed by annealing. The absorption spectra strongly suggested that the dominant role played by such pre-irradiation would be to assist the relaxation of weaker parts of the glass; such as strained Si-O-Si bonds. The photo-induced defect creation process could be divided into 2 parts, and pre-irradiation suppressed photo-induced defect creation only during the first part.

Effects of Pre-Irradiation and Thermal Annealing on Photo-Induced Defect Creation in Synthetic Silica Glass. K.Saito, A.J.Ikushima, T.Kotani, T.Miura: Journal of Applied Physics, 1999, 86[7], 3497-501