Effect of Gamma Irradiation on the Electrical Properties of Synthetic Quartz Crystals

The effect of gamma irradiation on the electrical conductivity, dielectric losses, and dielectric permittivity of synthetic quartz crystals was studied in a broad temperature range (295–670 K). The conductivity of the crystals was shown to exhibit Arrhenius behavior above 420 K and power-law behavior (T ^1/4) below 420 K. These findings are interpreted as evidence that, at elevated temperatures, thermally activated transport prevails, whereas at low temperatures, the dominant mechanism of conduction is hopping transport. The conductivity of quartz passes through a maximum at a gamma dose of about 10⁶ rad. Gamma irradiation slightly reduces the activation energy for low-temperature conduction, whereas the high-temperature activation energy remains virtually unchanged.