A detailed study was made of the optical properties of intrinsic color centers which were created in crystals under irradiation with low-penetration 3keV electrons. The kinetics of the production of F and M centers, as determined from optical absorption measurements, exhibited a typical 3-stage structure and clear saturation at high doses. A quantitative evaluation of the kinetic parameters was found to be in excellent agreement with the predictions of the most comprehensive theoretical model. A comparison of the effects of irradiation at different temperatures, as determined from absorption and photoluminescence spectra, permitted the to deduction of the conditions required for the preferential formation of F2 or F3+ defects in LiF crystals.

Color Centers Induced in LiF by Low-Energy Electrons. G.Baldacchini, G.d’Auria, R.M.Montereali, A.Scacco: Journal of Physics - Condensed Matter, 1998, 10[4], 857-67