Color improvement of rubies by ion beam technique

Abstract

Ion implantation technique has been used for improving the quality of natural ruby. The implantation was performed by using 90 keV N2-ion and 50 keV O-ion beams. Either kind of ion species could eliminate tiny inclusions in the ruby as observed from an optical microscope. The red color of the ruby was intensified after O-ion implantation. N2-ion implantation changed the color of red ruby to be violet-red. UV–vis and X-ray absorption spectroscopic techniques were employed for investigating the mechanism behind the optical quality improvement of the ruby. The results from both measurement techniques are reported and discussed. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.