US Patent 7419547 Method for marking a crystalline material using cathodoluminescence

In a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for marking a sample of a doped crystalline material. According to a feature of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of causing a controlled alteration to the crystalline material at a preselected spot on the sample of the crystalline material, sufficient to cause a change in a cathodoluminescence spectrum of the crystalline material at the preselected spot and utilizing the altered cathodoluminescence spectrum to mark the crystalline material.