Influence of stoichiometry on high temperature intrinsic defects in fused silica

The set of intrinsic defects, their generation, interactions and recombination reactions are discussed, including the participation of atomic and molecular oxygen, which allows one to take into account the stoichiometry of fused silica. The mathematical solution of the set of equations, which characterizes the equilibrium concentrations of intrinsic defects, gives the specific values of intrinsic defect concentrations at different temperatures and stoichiometries. The influence of such intrinsic defects frozen in at room temperature on the spectroscopic characteristics of fused silica is analyzed.