Field-assisted sodium migration in glasses during medium-energy proton irradiation

Soda-silica and soda-lime-silica glasses have been irradiated with protons of energy 600 keV at different fluences and total charges. The Na concentration profiles have been obtained by using a specific nuclear reaction, before and after the proton irradiations. The experimental results have been explained on the basis of a field-assisted migration process. A quantitative analysis has been accomplished by numerical integration of the continuity equation.