Luminescent analysis etching processes of sapphire with gold nanocrystals in electronbeam

The presented work considers the possibility of studying the processes of radiation-induced ki-netics restructuring of the sapphire surface with gold nanocrystals using the time dependence intensity of cathodoluminescence spectra. It was shown that the main of color centers in the UV region of the spectrum of cathodoluminescence of sapphire are F+centers, and the F-band is suppressed. The study of the time dependence of the intensity of F+centers confirms the ab-sence of the surface melting stage of sapphire during irradiation with a beam of electrons with an accelerating voltage of 50 keV. The small line widening value Cr3+ corresponds to minor temperature devi-ations on the sapphire surface during electronic irradiation. A qualitative model describing etching of sapphire sur-face with gold nanocrystals during electron action is proposed. The model considered is based on radiation-induced Auger decay of sapphire and formation of intermetallic phases in the process of the exothermic reaction in the Au-Al sys-tem