Analysis of Si+-implanted Nd:YVO4 crystal: the relation between lattice damage and waveguide formation.

We report the lattice damage and annealing properties of the 500 keV Si+ ions implanted Nd:YVO4 crystal with different doses. The Rutherford backscattering spectrometry/channeling technique was used to analyze the damage profiles of ion-implanted samples. A series of post-implant annealing was performed at temperatures from 250 degrees C to 400 degrees C to investigate the relation between lattice damage profile and the waveguide formation. Implantations at doses of more than 5 x 10(14) ions/cm(2) can result in high damage ratio in the near-surface region and the lattice structure cannot be restored even after annealing at 400 degrees C. Such seriously damaged lattice is relatively stable and contributes to the waveguide structure. Convergence of the refractive index at the surface region after ion implantation is believed mainly due to the elastic collisions with the target atoms caused by nuclear energy loss. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America