Green-red light generation and propagation in LiF films

Low energy electron bombardment of LiF polycrystalline films induces an efficient formation of optical active electronic defect emitting in the visible region of the spectrum from green to red at room temperature. A sizeable optical gain coefficient has been measured in the colored region. For the first time light waveguiding has been observed in a LiF film. These result are promising for light generation and propagation in optoelectronic devices based on this interesting material.