Swift heavy ion provoked structural, optical and electrical properties in SnO2 thin films

SnO₂ thin films grown on glass substrates at 300 ^°C by reactive thermal evaporation and annealed at 600 ^°C were irradiated by 120 MeV Ag⁹⁺ ions. Though irradiation is known to induce lattice disorder and suppression of crystallinity, we observe grain growth at a certain fluence of irradiation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the crystalline nature of the films. The particle size estimated by Scherrer’s formula for the irradiated films was in the range 10–25 nm. The crystallite size increases with increase in fluence up to 1×10¹² ions?cm^?2, whereas after that the size starts decreasing. Atomic force microscope (AFM) results showed the surface modification of nanostructures for films irradiated with fluences of 1×10¹¹ ions?cm^?2 to 1×10¹³ ions?cm^?2. The UV–visible spectrum showed the band gap of the irradiated films in the range of 3.56 eV–3.95 eV. The resistivity decreases with fluence up to 5×10¹² ions?cm^?2 and starts increasing after that. Rutherford Backscattering (RBS) reveals the composition of the films and sputtering of ions due to irradiation at higher fluence.     

Effect of ion irradiation on C 60 thin films

We report a new effect of ion irradiation on C₆₀ thin films: C₆₀ thin films irradiated with 7-MeV C²⁺ ions show resistance to photopolymerization. The resistance increases with increasing ion fluence of irradiation. The effect is qualitatively explained by the fact that the number of a C₆₀ pair satisfying the topochemical requirement for photochemical reaction in solids decreases by destruction of C₆₀ molecules accompanied by lattice disorder.     

Phase transformation in Ni–Mn–Sn ferromagnetic shape memory alloy thin films induced by dense ionization

The effects of 200 MeV Au ions irradiation on the structural and magnetic properties of Ni–Mn–Sn ferromagnetic shape memory alloy (FSMA) thin films have been systematically investigated. In order to understand the role of initial microstructure and phase of the film with respect to high energy irradiation, the two types of Ni–Mn–Sn FSMA films having different phases at room temperature were irradiated, one in martensite phase (Ni_58.9Mn_28.0Sn_13.1) and other in austenite phase (Ni₅₀Mn_35.6Sn_14.4). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images along with the diffraction patterns of X-rays and electrons confirm that martensite phase transforms to austenite phase at a fluence of 6×10¹² ions/cm² and a complete amorphization occurs at a fluence of 3×10¹³ ions/cm², whereas ion irradiation has a minimal effect on the austenitic structure (Ni₅₀Mn_35.6Sn_14.4). Thermo-magnetic measurements also support the above mentioned behaviour of Ni–Mn–Sn FSMA films with increasing fluence of 200 MeV Au ions. The results are explained on the basis of thermal spike model considering the core and halo regions of ion tracks in FSMA materials.     

50 MeV Li3+ ion irradiation effect on structural, electrical, and dielectric properties of PVA-based nanocomposite polymer electrolytes

Nanocomposite polymer electrolyte thin films of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-orthophosphoric acid (H₃PO₄)-Al₂O₃ have been prepared by solution cast technique. Films are irradiated with 50 MeV Li³⁺ ions having four different fluences viz. 5?×?10¹⁰, 1?×?10¹¹, 5?×?10¹¹, and 1?×?10¹² ions/cm². The effect of irradiation on polymeric samples has been studied and characterized. X-ray diffraction spectra reveal that percent degree of crystallinity of samples decrease with ion fluences. Glass transition and melting temperatures have been also decreased as observed in differential scanning calorimetry. A possible complexation/interaction has been shown by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Temperature-dependent ionic conductivity shows an Arrhenius behavior before and after glass transition temperature. It is observed that ionic conductivity increases with ion fluences and after a critical fluence, it starts to decrease. Maximum ionic conductivity of ～2.3?×?10^?5 S/cm owing to minimum activation energy of ～0.012 eV has been observed for irradiated electrolyte sample at fluence of 5?×?10¹¹ ions/cm². The dielectric constant and dielectric loss also increase with ion fluences while they decrease with frequency. Transference number of ions shows that the samples are of purely ionic in nature before and after ion irradiation.     

An investigation on the variations in properties of Ni+ irradiated ZnO thin films

ZnO thin films, irradiated by 80 MeV Ni⁺ ions, were analysed with the help of different characterization techniques like X-ray diffraction, optical absorption, transmission, photoluminescence (PL), electrical resistivity, photosensitivity (PS) and thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurements. Crystallinity and absorption edge were hardly affected by irradiation. PL spectrum of pristine sample showed a broad peak at 517 nm, whereas irradiated film had two emissions at 517 and 590 nm. Intensity ratio between these two emissions (I₅₁₇/I₅₉₀) decreased with the fluence, and finally at a fluence of 3×10¹³ ions/cm², the emission at 517 nm completely disappeared. Electrical resistivity of the sample irradiated with a fluence of 1×10¹³ ions/cm² drastically increased. However, on increasing the fluence to 3×10¹³ ions/cm², resistivity decreased, probably due the onset of hopping conduction through defects. PS also decreased due to irradiation. TSC measurements on pristine sample could reveal only one defect level at 0.6 eV, due to interstitia1 zinc (Zn_I). But, irradiation at a fluence of 1×10¹² ions/cm², resulted in three different defect levels as per TSC studies. Interestingly, the sample irradiated at a fluence of 3×10¹³ ions/cm² had only one defect level corresponding to a deep donor. The possible origin of these defect levels is also discussed in the paper.     

Induced absorption in yttrium aluminium perovskite crystals irradiated by 12C and 235U ions

The present work is devoted to investigation of optical absorption in pure and neodymium-doped YAlO₃ (YAP) single crystals in the spectral range 0.2–1.1 μm induced by the influence of ¹²C ions irradiation with energy 4.50 MeV/u (MeV per nucleon) and a fluence 2 × 10⁹ cm^?2 or of ²³⁵U ion irradiation with energy 9.35 MeV/u and a fluence 5 × 10¹¹ cm^?2. The induced absorption in the case of ¹²C ions irradiation is caused by recharging of point growth defects and impurities under the radiation influence. After irradiation by ²³⁵U ions with fluence 5 × 10¹¹ cm^?2 the strong absorption rise is probably caused by contribution of the lattice destruction as a result of heavy ion bombardment.     

DLTS and in situ C–V analysis of trap parameters in swift 50 MeV Li3+ ion-irradiated Ni/SiO2/Si MOS capacitors

Ni/SiO₂/Si MOS structures were fabricated on n-type Si wafers and were irradiated with 50 MeV Li³⁺ ions with fluences ranging from 1×10¹⁰ to 1×10¹² ions/cm². High frequency C–V characteristics are studied in situ to estimate the build-up of fixed and oxide charges. The nature of the charge build-up with ion fluence is analyzed. Defect levels in bulk Si and its properties such as activation energy, capture cross-section, trap concentration and carrier lifetimes are studied using deep-level transient spectroscopy. Electron traps with energies ranging from 0.069 to 0.523 eV are observed in Li ion-irradiated devices. The dependence of series resistance, substrate doping and accumulation capacitance on Li ion fluence are clearly explained. The study of dielectric properties (tan δ and quality factor) confirms the degradation of the oxide layer to a greater extent due to ion irradiation.     

Studies of some physical properties of PrFe0.7Ni0.3O3 thin films after 200 MeV Ag15+ irradiation

PrFe_0.7Ni_0.3O₃ thin films (thickness ~ 200 nm) were prepared by pulsed laser ablation technique on LaAlO₃ substrate. These films were irradiated with 200?MeV Ag¹⁵⁺ ions at various fluencies, ranging from 1 × 10¹¹ to 1 × 10¹² ions/cm². These irradiated thin films were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, dc conductivity, dc magnetization and atomic force microscopy. These films exhibit orthorhombic structure and retain it even after irradiations. The crystallite size (110–137?nm), micro strain (1.48 × 10^?2–1.75 × 10^?2 line^?2?m^?4) and dislocation density (79.7 × 10¹⁴–53.2 × 10¹⁴ line/m²) vary with ion fluencies. An enhancement in resistivity at certain fluence and then a decrease in its value (0.22175–0.21813?Ω?cm) are seen. A drastic change in observed magnetism after ion irradiation is seen. With ion irradiation, an increase in surface roughness, due to the formation of hillocks and other factors, is observed. Destruction of magnetic domains after irradiation can also be visualized with magnetic force microscopy and is in close agreement with magnetization data. The impact on various physical properties in these thin films after irradiation indicates a distortion in the lattice structure and consequently on single-particle band width caused by stress-induced defects.     

Carbon (70 MeV) and copper (120 MeV) ions irradiation effects in Makrofol-N

Makrofol-N polycarbonate was irradiated with carbon (70 MeV) and copper (120 MeV) ions to analyze the induced effects with respect to optical and structural properties. In the present investigation, the fluence for carbon and copper beams was kept in the range of 1×10¹¹– 1×10¹³ ions/cm² to study the swift heavy ion induced modifications. UV–VIS, FTIR and XRD techniques were utilized to study the induced changes. The analysis of UV–VIS absorption studies revealed that the optical energy gap was reduced by 17% on carbon irradiation, whereas the copper beam leads to a decrease of 52% at the highest fluence of 1×10¹³ ions/cm². The band gap can be correlated to the number of carbon atoms, N, in a cluster with a modified Robertson's equation. In copper (120 MeV) ions irradiated polycarbonate, the number of carbon atoms in a cluster was increased from 63 to 269 with the increase of ion fluence from 0 to 1×10¹³ ions/cm², whereas N is raised only up to 91 when the same polymer films were irradiated with carbon (70 MeV) ions under similar conditions. FTIR analysis showed a decrease in almost all characteristic absorption bands under irradiation. The formation of hydroxyl (? OH) and alkene (C?C) groups were observed in Makrofol-N at higher fluence on irradiation with both types of ions, while the formation alkyne end (R? C≡ CH) group was observed only after copper ions irradiation. The radii of the alkyne production of about 3.3 nm were deduced for copper (120 MeV) ions. XRD measurements show a decrease in intensity of the main peak and an increase of the average intermolecular spacing with the increase of ion fluence, which may be attributed to the structural degradation of Makrofol-N on swift ion irradiation.     

Swift heavy ion irradiation induced modification of BiFeO3 thin films prepared by sol-gel method

We report the preparation of multiferroic BiFeO₃ thin films on ITO coated glass substrates through sol-gel spin coating method followed by thermal annealing and their modification by swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies revealed amorphous nature of the as deposited films. Rhombohedral crystalline phase of BiFeO₃ evolved on annealing the films at 550°C. Both XRD and Raman studies indicated that SHI irradiation by 200 MeV Au ions result in fragmentation of particles and progressive amorphization with increasing irradiation fluence. The average crystallite size estimated from the XRD line width decreased from 38 nm in pristine sample annealed at 550°C to 29 nm on irradiating these films by 200 MeV Au ions at 1 × 10¹¹ ions cm⁻². Complete amorphization of the rhombohedral BiFeO₃ phase occurs at a fluence of 1 × 10¹² ions.cm⁻². Irradiation by another ion (200 MeV Ag) had the similar effect. For both the ions, the electronic energy loss exceeds the threshold electronic energy loss for creation of amorphized latent tracks in BiFeO₃.     

Investigation of radiation resistance of fullerenes under irradiation with fast neutrons

Fullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀ synthesized by the electric arc method and fractionated (purity grades of 99.99 and 99.90 wt %, respectively) were irradiated in a solid phase in the WWR-M reactor (Konstantinov Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute,” Gatchina, Russia) with the aim of determining the survivability in the range of fast neutron fluences Φ = 4 × 10¹⁵?3 × 10¹⁷ n/cm². The irradiated samples were dissolved in carbon disulfide, and intact fullerenes were extracted. With an increase in the fluence, their weight fraction in the samples S(Φ), a measure of radiation resistance of molecules, decreased, to a first approximation, exponentially: S(Φ) = exp(?Φ/Φ _D ). The estimated characteristic fluences were Φ _D = 2.4 × 10¹⁷ and 4.0 × 10¹⁷ n/cm² for C₆₀ and C₇₀, respectively.     

Enhancement in electrochemical properties of ionic liquid-based nanocomposite polymer electrolytes by 100 MeV Si9+ swift heavy ion irradiation

Swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation has been used as a tool to enhance the electrochemical properties of ionic liquid-based nanocomposite polymer electrolytes dispersed with dedoped polyaniline (PAni) nanorods; 100 MeV Si⁹⁺ ions with four different fluences of 5?×?10¹⁰, 1?×?10¹¹, 5?×?10¹¹, and 1?×?10¹² ions cm^?2 have been used as SHI. XRD results depict that with increasing ion fluence, crystallinity decreases due to chain scission up to fluence of 5?×?10¹¹ ions cm^?2, and at higher fluence, crystallinity increases due to cross-linking of polymer chains. Ionic conductivity, electrochemical stability, and dielectric properties are enhanced with increasing ion fluence attaining maximum value at the fluence of 5?×?10¹¹ ions cm^?2 and subsequently decrease. Optimum ionic conductivity of 1.5?×?10^?2 S cm^?1 and electrochemical stability up to 6.3 V have been obtained at the fluence of 5?×?10¹¹ ions cm^?2. Ac conductivity studies show that ion conduction takes place through hopping of ions from one coordination site to the other. On SHI irradiation, amorphicity of the polymer matrix increases resulting in increased segmental motion which facilitates ion hopping leading to an increase in ionic conductivity. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements show that SHI-irradiated nanocomposite polymer electrolytes are thermally stable up to 240–260 °C.     

Adsorption of helium on isolated C60 and C70 anions

Adsorption of helium on free, negatively charged fullerenes is studied in this work. Helium nanodroplets have been doped with fullerenes and ionised by electron attachment. For suitable experimental conditions, C^?₆₀ and C^?₇₀ anions are found to be complexed with a large number of helium atoms. Prominent anomalies in the ion abundances indicate the high stability of the commensurate 1×1 phase in which all hollow adsorption sites are occupied by one atom each. The adsorption energy for an additional helium atom is about 40% less than for atoms in the commensurate layer, similar to our previous findings for fullerene cations and in agreement with theoretical dissociation energies. Similarly, an anomaly in the adsorption energy occurs when 60 helium atoms are attached to C^?₆₀ or 65 to C^?₇₀. For C₆₀, the anomaly coincides with the one observed for cationic complexes but for C₇₀ it does not. Implications of these features are discussed in light of several theoretical studies of neutral and positively charged helium–fullerene complexes.     

Structural,optical and electrical properties of 60 MeV C5+ ion-irradiated poly(3-methylthiophene) films

The structural, optical and electrical properties of 60 MeV C⁵⁺ ion-irradiated poly(3-methylthiophene) (P3MT) synthesized by the chemical oxidation polymerization method have been studied. The P3MT powder was dissolved in chloroform (CHCl₃), and thin films of thickness 2 μm were prepared on glass and Si substrates. The polymerization was confirmed by the FTIR spectrum. Then films were irradiated by 60 MeV C⁵⁺ ions at different fluences. FTIR spectra show methyl group evolution after irradiation. The optical band gap decreases slightly after irradiation and the DC conductivity increases by about one order of magnitude after irradiation at the highest fluence. The role of S _e has also been discussed when compared with 60 MeV Si⁵⁺ ion irradiation of P3MT. The morphological changes are observed using SEM.     

Ion track effect on point defect production in SiC

Low-temperature (40 K) photoluminescence (PL) measurements were used to follow the defect formation induced in the 4H-SiC epitaxial layer by irradiation with 200 keV H⁺ and 800 keV C⁺ in the fluence range of 5×10⁹–3.5×10¹² ions/cm². After irradiation, the PL spectra show the formation of some sharp lines, called “alphabet lines”, located in the wavelength range of 425–443 nm, due to the recombination of excitons at structural defects induced by ion beams. The analysis of luminescence line intensity versus ion fluence allows us to mark two different groups of peaks, namely the P1 group (e, f and g lines) and the P2 group (a, b, c and d lines). The normalised yield of P1 group lines increases with ion fluence and reaches a maximum value, while the normalised yield of P2 group lines exhibits a threshold fluence and then increases until a saturation value is reached. These different trends indicate that, while the P1 group lines are related to the primary defects created by ion beams (interstitial defects, vacancies), the P2 group lines can be associated with some complex defects (divacancy, antisites). The trends are similar for irradiation with H⁺ and C⁺ ions; however, the defect formation occurs in the fluence range of 5×10⁹–10¹¹ ions/cm² for C⁺ irradiation and 10¹¹–4×10¹² ions/cm² for H⁺ irradiation. Taking into account the different values of energy deposited in elastic collision, a dependence on the ion type was found: the C⁺ ion results in being less effective in defect production as a higher defect recombination occurs inside its dense cascade.     

Effect of Si ion irradiation on polycrystalline CdS thin film grown from novel photochemical deposition technique

CdS thin films have been deposited from aqueous solution by photochemical reactions. The solution contains Cd(CH₃COO)₂ and Na₂S₂O₃, and pH is controlled in an acidic region by adding H₂SO₄. The solution is illuminated with light from a high-pressure mercury-arc lamp. CdS thin films are formed on a glass substrate by the heterogeneous nucleation and the deposited thin films have been subjected to high-energy Si ion irradiations. Si ion irradiation has been performed with an energy of 80 MeV at fluences of 1×10¹¹, 1×10¹², 1×10¹³ and 1×10¹⁴ ions/cm² using tandem pelletron accelerator. The irradiation-induced changes in CdS thin films are studied using XRD, Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence. Broadening of the PL emission peak were observed with increasing irradiation fluence, which could be attributed to the band tailing effect of the Si ion irradiation. The lattice disorder takes place at high Si ion fluences.     

Silicon negative ion implantation induced vacancy defects in thermally grown SiO2 thin films

ABSTRACT

Thermally grown SiO₂ thin films on a silicon substrate implanted with 100?keV silicon negative ions with fluences varying from 1?×?10¹⁵ to 2?×?10¹⁷ ions cm^?2 have been investigated using Electron spin resonance, Fourier transforms infrared and Photoluminescence techniques. ESR studies revealed the presence of non-bridging oxygen hole centers, E′-centers and P_b-centers at g-values 2.0087, 2.0052 and 2.0010, respectively. These vacancy defects were found to increase with respect to ion fluence. FTIR spectra showed rocking vibration mode, stretching mode, bending vibration mode, and asymmetrical stretching absorption bands at 460, 614, 800 and 1080?cm^?1, respectively. The concentrations of Si–O and Si–Si bonds estimated from the absorption spectra were found to vary between 11.95?×?10²¹ cm^?3 and 5.20?×?10²¹ cm^?3 and between 5.90?×?10²¹ cm^?3 and 3.90?×?10²¹ cm^?3, respectively with an increase in the ion fluence. PL studies revealed the presence of vacancies related to non-bridging oxygen hole centers, which caused the light emission at a wavelength of 720?nm.     

Processing of C<Subscript>60</Subscript> thin films by Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE)

Thin films of fullerenes (C₆₀) were deposited onto silicon using matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE). The deposition was carried out from a frozen homogeneous dilute solution of C₆₀ in anisole (0.67 wt%), and over a broad range of laser fluences, from 0.15 J/cm² up to 3.9 J/cm². MAPLE has been applied for deposition of fullerenes for the first time and we have studied the growth of thin films of solid C₆₀. The fragmentation of C₆₀ fullerene molecules induced by ns ablation in vacuum of a frozen anisole target with C₆₀ was investigated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI). Our findings show that intact fullerene films can be produced with laser fluences ranging from 0.15 J/cm² up to 1.5 J/cm².     

Comparative study on low energy ion beam modification of thermoplastic polymers

ABSTRACT

Polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) thermoplastic polymer films were irradiated by low energy ion beams such as 100 keV Hydrogen (H⁺) ions and 350 keV Nitrogen (N⁺) ions at varied fluence from 1?×?10¹³ ions/cm² to 5?×?10¹⁴ ions/cm². The depth profile concentration of ions was calculated using Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) software code. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) technique shows decrement in the intensity of peaks and disappearance of peaks mainly related to carbonyl stretching at 1770?cm^?1 and C–C stretching at 1500?cm^?1. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of irradiated polymers showed the formation of pores. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis has showed decrease in the intensity indicating the decrease in crystallinity after irradiation. Mechanical studies revealed that the molecular weight and microhardness decrease with increase in ion fluence due to increase in chain scission. The contact angle increased with increase in ion fluence indicating the hydrophobic nature of polymer after irradiation. Antibiofilm activity test of irradiated films shows resistance to Salmonella typhi (S. typhi) pathogen responsible for typhoid. The study shows that Nitrogen ion induces more damage compared to Hydrogen ions and PC films get more modified than PET films.     

Investigation of structural and optical properties of 100 MeV F7+ ion irradiated Ga10Se90-xAlx thin films

Present work focuses on the effect of swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation of 100 MeV F⁷⁺ ions by varying the fluencies in the range of 1 × 10¹² to 1 × 10¹³ ions/cm² on the morphological, structural and optical properties of polycrystalline thin films of Ga₁₀Se_90-xAl_x (x = 0, 5). Thin films of ~300 nm thickness were deposited on cleaned Al₂O₃ substrates by thermal evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction pattern of investigated thin films shows the crystallite growth occurs in hexagonal phase structure for Ga₁₀Se₉₀ and tetragonal phase structure for Ga₁₀Se₈₅Al₅. The further structural analysis carried out by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy verifies the defects or disorder of the investigated material increases after SHI irradiation. The optical parameters absorption coefficient (α), extinction coefficient (K), optical band gap (E_g) and Urbach’s energy (E_U) are determined from optical absorption spectra data measured from spectrophotometry in the wavelength range 200–1100 nm. It was found that the values of absorption coefficient and extinction coefficient increase while the value of optical band gap decreases with the increase in ion fluence. This post irradiation change in the optical parameters was interpreted in terms of bond distribution model.