Synthesis of the SiO$_2$:Cu$^0_n$ nanocomposite by the laser distillation method

The method of distillation in a jet formed by cw CO$_2$ laser radiation of $\sim100$ W power was used in synthesis of copper-doped silica glass samples. A silica target in the form of a tube with a diameter of 2.6 or 1.2 mm, containing a copper wire, was employed. A scanning electron microscope and an x-ray microanalyser were used in an investigation of the characteristics of the microstructure of the samples and of the spatial distribution of the impurity concentration as a function of the position of the deposition zone in the laser jet. A study was made of the absorption and luminescence spectra of a cylindrical sample, $\sim5$ mm in diameter, grown in the core of a gasdynamic jet. The results showed that the glassy phase consisted of the SiO$_2$:Cu$^0_n$ composite.