Auger emission and colour centres in lithium fluoride

Low energy Auger transitions from lithium fluoride, below 50 eV, have been associated by Gallon and Matthew [Phys. Status Solidi 41 (1970) 343] with transition processes between an ionised lithium ion and neighbouring fluorine ions. Two of these transitions, giving rise to lines at 36 eV and 43 eV were thought to involve de-excitation via colour centre defects. The growth behaviour of these lines has been investigated as a function of temperature, between 200°K and 600°K, and correlations have been established between this behaviour and optical absorption data obtained in situ. The effects of deposited nickel films on the Auger spectrum have also been investigated, and it is concluded that the 43 eV transition arises from lithium metal produced by electron beam dissociation of the lithium fluoride while the 36 eV line does indeed arise from de-excitation via a defect centre.