LiNbO3 single crystals were implanted at room temperature with Eu+ ion
s at 70 keV with fluence ranging from 0.5 to 5 X 10(16) ions . cm-2. T
he damage in the implanted layer has been investigated by Channeling R
utherford Backscattering (RBS-C), and the oxidation states of the cati
ons have been determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Fo
llowing implantation, a fully amorphized layer of 60 nm is generated,
even for the lowest fluence employed. Subsequent annealing in air, in
the range 800-1250 K, was applied to restore tentatively the crystalli
nity and promote the substitutional incorporation of Eu in the crystal
. Only a partial recrystallization of the damaged layer was observed.
For as-implanted samples, XPS spectra clearly reveal europium in Eu2and Eu3+ states, and the Nb5+ ions are driven to lower charge states.