Radiation-stimulated diffusion in solids

Irradiation of solids produces a microscopic nonequilibrium state in which the vibrational energy distribution function of the atoms deviates from the thermodynamically equilibrium function. Expressions are obtained for the nonequilibrium distribution function and for the frequencies of activational transitions of atoms out of a potential well. It is shown that the radiation stimulation of diffusion processes involves a deviation of the temperature dependences of the frequencies of transitions of the atoms out of positions of equilibrium from the Arrhenius law. Under subthreshold irradiation conditions the rate of diffusion processes is higher for atoms whose vibrations thermalize over long times and depends linearly on the irradiation intensity. Under above-threshold irradiation conditions the characteristics of cascade regions in solids — their sizes and the vibrational excitation energy of the atoms — can be determined by comparing the computed and experimental temperature dependences of the diffusion coefficient. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 67–72 (August 1998)     

Comparisons between statistics of low energy collision cascades generated by full molecular dynamics and by its binary collision approximation

Abstract

Collision cascades in Cu, Au and Cu₃Au are generated by full molecular dynamics (MD) and by its binary collision approximation (BCA) with the Marlowe program. Cu and Au primaries have 1 keV initial energy.

The same Molière repulsive potential is used in both models for close encounters. In the MD model, this potential is carefully splined to the pair component of the N-body potential developed by Ackland and Vitek. In the BCA, this N-body interaction is roughly modeled by a constant isotropic 4 eV binding energy of the target atoms to their rest positions.

Time distributions of the number of atoms moving with a total energy higher than a threshold value E _d are compared and discussed. Recoil range distributions during the cascade development are discussed as well. The agreement between MD and BCA is fairly good in all cases for E _d larger than about 3 eV. In the case of smaller E _d-values, the BCA may result in an overestimate of the number of moving atoms in the late development of the cascades. This discrepancy is suggested to originate in the lack of attractive forces between the moving particles and the surrounding atoms in the BCA.     

A description of the laser-induced annealing and diffusion behaviour of implanted silicon crystals

Abstract

It is shown that as a result of the Greenwood-Foreman-Rimmer loop punching mechanism applied for helium bubble growth in nickel implanted with 5 keV He⁺ ions at 273 K, a considerable amount of helium remains outside the bubbles which are visible in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). It is also shown that even when it is assumed that there is an energy barrier with an upper limit equal to the formation energy of a self-interstitial atom, not all implanted helium can be accumulated in the bubbles below the critical dose for blistering.

The experimental observation of bubble growth in a helium pre-implanted nickel specimen during 1 MeV e^? irradiation may demonstrate that indeed a significant amount of helium remains between the bubbles visible in TEM.     

Non-equilibrium agglomeration of helium-vacancy clusters in irradiated materials

Abstract

Time evolution of non-equilibrium systems, where the probability density is described by a continuum Fokker-Planck (F-P) equation, is a central area of interest in stochastic processes. In this paper, a numerical solution of a two-dimensional (2-D) F-P equation describing the growth of helium-vacancy clusters (HeVCs) in metals under irradiation is given. First, nucleation rates and regions of stability of HeVCs in the appropriate phase space for fission and fusion devices are established. This is accomplished by solving a detailed set of cluster kinetic rate equations. A nodal line analysis is used to map spontaneous and stochastic nucleation regimes in the helium-vacancy (h-v) phase space. Growth trajectories of HeVCs are then used to evaluate the average HeVC size and helium content during the growth phase of HeVCs in typical growth instability regions.

The growth phase of HeVCs is modeled by a continuum 2-D, time-dependent F-P equation. Growth trajectories are used to define a finite solution space in the h-v phase space. A highly efficient dynamic remeshing scheme is developed to solve the F-P equation. As a demonstration, typical HFIR irradiation conditions are chosen. Good agreement between the computed size distributions and those measured experimentally are obtained.     

Radiation enhanced P-diffusion in germanium

Abstract

Cascade size may affect phase stability under irradiation because of two distinct contributions: the replacement to displacement cross-section ratio depends on the deposited energy density; ballistic jumps which tend to disorder ordered compounds occur by bursts, while thermal jumps which restore long range order occur one by one.

The latter effect cannot be handled by standard rate theory. A stochastic treatment of the problem, based on a Fokker Planck approximation of the relevant master equation is summarized. It is shown that the possible values of the long range order parameter under irradiation are not affected by the size of the cascade but that the respective stability of the former is cascade size sensitive. As a consequence, the stability diagram of phases under irradiation varies with the size of the cascades. A numerical example of this is given for the B2 structure.     

In situ observation of cascade damage under heavy ion irradiation

Abstract

Collision cascades initiated from high energy PKAs produce defect clusters in crystalline solids irradiated with fast neutrons or energetic ions. They will affect not only an early stage of microstructural evolution but that at high fluence by changing free defect survival rate. To elucidate fundamental processes of cascade damage evolution, in situ observation of microstructure in FCC metals under heavy ion irradiation has been carried out using a combined facility of a 400 kV accelerator and a 200 kV transmission electron microscope installed in the University of Tokyo, Tokai. Defect clusters produced by individual energetic ions are observed during irradiation to examine subcascade formation, interaction of point-defects from cascade damage and related point-defect processes.     

Simulation of low energy displacement processes in a dilute cu-au alloy

Abstract

Research into displacement cascade processes in alloy systems has received little attention, yet is potentially of interest because issues such as the effect of solutes on the displacement threshold and the defect distribution and movement in cascades are important. As part of a wider study, we have initially considered the minor substitutional solute Au in a Cu matrix, and have used molecular dynamics to investigate the properties of point defects, the threshold displacement energy E_d, and temporal and spatial distribution of defects in low-energy (≤500 eV) displacement cascades. The results show that the influence of the solute on the properties of defects is important and that E_d is dramatically different from its form in pure copper. In comparison with pure copper, the recoil of the Au solute gives rise to a higher peak at longer times in the number of displaced atoms in the generation of a displacement cascade. The influence of this on defect density in the cascade and the final number and arrangement of defects has been investigated.     

液滴外延下生长参数对InAs纳米结构形貌的影响

利用液滴外延法在GaAs(001)衬底表面制备InAs量子点,通过控制变量分别研究沉积速率、沉积量对In液滴在GaAs表面生长过程中的影响.使用原子力显微镜(Atomic Force Microscope, AFM)表征InAs纳米结构形貌,得出结论：(1)沉积速率主要通过影响In液滴成核率来控制液滴的密度,即随着沉积速率的增大,In原子在衬底表面的成核率增加,InAs量子点密度增加,实验符合生长动力学经典成核理论.(2)沉积量的改变主要影响液滴的熟化过程,即随着沉积量的增大,可参与生长的活跃的In原子增加,促进了液滴熟化,使得扩散坍塌的原子数量增加,导致在InAs纳米结构中出现多量子点现象.     

冲击加载下铝中氦泡和孔洞的塑性变形特征研究

通过分子动力学模拟研究了在相同冲击加载强度下单晶铝中氦泡和孔洞的塑性变形特征,结果发现氦泡和孔洞的塌缩是由发射剪切型位错环引起的,而没有观测到棱锥型位错环发射. 氦泡和孔洞周围的位错优先成核位置基本一致,但是氦泡周围发射的位错环数目比孔洞多,位错环发射速度明显比孔洞快. 且氦泡和孔洞被冲击波先扫过部分比后扫过部分发射位错困难. 通过滑移面上的分解应力分析发现,氦泡和孔洞周围塑性特征的差别是由于氦泡内压引起最大分解应力分布改变造成的. 氦泡和孔洞被冲击波先后扫过部分塑性不对称是因为冲击波扫过时引起形状变化, 关键词： 分子动力学 冲击波 氦泡 孔洞     

Crystal plasticity modeling of irradiation growth in Zircaloy-2

Abstract

A physically based reaction-diffusion model is implemented in the visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) crystal plasticity framework to simulate irradiation growth in hcp Zr and its alloys. The reaction-diffusion model accounts for the defects produced by the cascade of displaced atoms, their diffusion to lattice sinks and the contribution to crystallographic strain at the level of single crystals. The VPSC framework accounts for intergranular interactions and irradiation creep, and calculates the strain in the polycrystalline ensemble. A novel scheme is proposed to model the simultaneous evolution of both, number density and radius, of irradiation-induced dislocation loops directly from experimental data of dislocation density evolution during irradiation. This framework is used to predict the irradiation growth behaviour of cold-worked Zircaloy-2 and trends compared to available experimental data. The role of internal stresses in inducing irradiation creep is discussed. Effects of grain size, texture and external stress on the coupled irradiation growth and creep behaviour are also studied and compared with available experimental data.     

Helium nano-bubble bursting near the nickel surface

We have investigated the expansion and bursting of a helium nano-bubble near the surface of a nickel matrix using a molecular dynamics simulation. The helium atoms erupt from the bubble in an instantaneous and volcano-like process,which leads to surface deformation consisting of cavity formation on the surface, along with modification and atomic rearrangement at the periphery of the cavity. During the kinetic releasing process, the channel may undergo the "open" and"close" states more than once due to the variation of the stress inside the nano-bubble. The ratio between the number of helium atoms and one of vacancies can directly reflect the releasing rate under different temperatures and crystallographic orientation conditions, respectively. Moreover, a special relationship between the stress and He-to-vacancy ratio is also determined. This model is tested to compare with the experimental result from Hastelloy N alloys implanted by helium ions and satisfactory agreement is obtained.     

Effect of simultaneous helium implantation on the microstructure evolution of Inconel X-750 superalloy during dual-beam irradiation

This study focuses on investigation into the effect of helium implantation on microstructure evolution in Inconel X-750 superalloy during dual-beam (Ni⁺/He⁺) irradiation. The 1 MeV Ni⁺ ions with the damage rate of 10^?3 dpa/s as well as 15 keV He⁺ ions using rate of 200 appm/dpa were simultaneously employed to irradiate specimens at 400 °C to different doses. Microstructure characterization has been conducted using high-resolution analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM results show that simultaneous helium injection has significant influence on irradiation-induced microstructural changes. The disordering of γ′ (Ni₃ (Al, Ti)) precipitates shows noticeable delay in dose level compared to mono heavy ion irradiation, which is attributed to the effect of helium on promoting the dynamic reordering process. In contrast to previous studies on single-beam ion irradiation, in which no cavities were reported even at high doses, very small (2–5 nm) cavities were detected after irradiation to 5 dpa, which proved that helium plays crucial role in cavity formation. TEM characterization also indicates that the helium implantation affects the development of dislocation loops during irradiation. Large 1/3 〈1?1?1〉 Frank loops in the size of 10–20 nm developed during irradiation at 400 °C, whereas similar big loops detected at higher irradiation temperature (500 °C) during sole ion irradiation. This implies that the effect of helium on trapping the vacancies can help to develop the interstitial Frank loops at lower irradiation temperatures.     

α-铁中位移级联过程中缺陷的生成和He-空位复合物的形成

运用分子动力学方法研究了不同He浓度和不同级联能下含He的α-Fe低温时的位移级联过程.模拟的主要撞击原子(PKA)的能量(E_P)(即级联能)从500eV变化到5keV，辐照温 度为100K，He的浓度从1%变化到5%.比较了不同He浓度下的Fe-He混合物和纯α-Fe的位移级 联过程，发现在含有He的α-Fe中总的Fe和He的Frenkel对与纯的α-Fe的Frenkel对的数目相 当.当He的浓度较低时，含有He的α-Fe中的Frenkel对比α-Fe的要低，随He的浓度增加，有 He的α-Fe中的Frenkel对比α-Fe中的高，这主要与He在金属中的性质有关.本研究证明了位 移级联过程可以直接导致He泡的成核.对不同级联能和不同He浓度下Fe的位移级联过程的模 拟，发现在同样的级联能下，随着He浓度的增加，He成团的几率增大；在同样的He浓度下, 随着级联能的增加,He成团的几率也同样增加，并分析了级联下He泡的形成机制. 关键词： Fe 位移级联 He-空位复合物 分子动力学     

Theoretical model for describing degradation of thin hydrogen-containing films

A new theoretical model is proposed to describe the behavior of films of composite hydrogen-containing compounds during heat treatment. The model is based on the thermal generation of hydrogen atoms and atoms of the composite compounds with their subsequent diffusion to the boundaries of the film and percolation through the surface into the atmosphere. Calculations are performed for the heat treatment of films of silicon nitride. A comparison with the experimental data in the literature demonstrates the high efficiency of the proposed model. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 105–110 (August 1997)     

Implications of neutron spectrum and flux differences on fission-fusion correlations at high neutron fluence

Abstract

The application to fusion environments of materials data derived from fission reactors involves considerations related not only to neutron spectra but also the often dominant effect of displacement rate. It is shown in this paper that fission-fusion correlation experiments directed toward helium effects and PKA recoil spectra are frequently difficult to interpret due to the strong influences of displacement rate, low energy recoils from thermal neutron absorption and in some cases a large influence of solid transmutants. It is also shown that materials data published in earlier decades must be reevaluated in light of recent advances in defining irradiation parameters.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of displacement cascades in Feben 10%Cr systems

Molecular dynamics simulations of the displacement cascades in Fe-10%Cr systems are used to simulate the primary knocked-on atom events of the irradiation damage at temperatures 300, 600, and 750 K with primary knocked-on atom energies between 1 and 15 keV. The results indicate that the vacancies produced by the cascade are all in the central region of the displacement cascade. During the cascade, all recoil Fe and Cr atoms combine with each other to form Fe-Cr or Fe-Fe interstitial dumbbells as well as interstitial clusters. The number and the size of interstitial clusters increase with the energy of the primary knocked-on atom and the temperature. A few large clusters consist of a large number of Fe interstitials with a few Cr atoms, the rest are Fe-Cr clusters with small and medium sizes. The interstitial dumbbells of Fe-Fe and Fe-Cr are in the lan111ran and lan110ran series directions, respectively.     

氦气对MPCVD沉积金刚石的影响

为了确定添加氦气对微波等离子体化学气相沉积(MPCVD)金刚石膜的影响,采用发射光谱法(OES)在线诊断了CH₄-H₂-He等离子体的发射光谱特性,研究了He对等离子体内基团空间分布的影响;并利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和拉曼(Raman)光谱对不同He体积分数下沉积出的金刚石膜进行了表征。结果表明：随着He体积分数的增加,等离子体内H_α, H_β, H_γ, CH和C₂基团的谱线强度均呈上升趋势,其中H_α基团的谱线强度增加最大。光谱空间诊断发现He的加入导致等离子体中各基团的空间分布均匀性变差,造成沉积出的金刚石膜厚度极不均匀。沉积速率测试表明,He的加入导致碳源基团相对浓度增加,有利于提高薄膜的沉积速率,当He体积分数由0 vol.%增加至4.7 vol.%时,沉积速率提高了24%。SEM测试结果表明,随着He体积分数的增加,金刚石膜表面形貌由(111)晶面取向向晶面取向混杂转变,孪晶生长明显。高He(4.7 vol.%)体积分数下由于C₂基团的相对浓度较高,导致二次形核密度增加。此外,由于基片台受到等离子体的刻蚀和溅射作用,导致薄膜沉积过程中引入了金属杂质原子。二次形核和杂质原子的存在使得孪晶大量的产生,薄膜呈现出压应力。     

Simulating high energy cascades in metals

Abstract

The processes of radiation damage, from initial defect production to microstructure evolution, occur over a wide spectrum of time and size scales. An understanding of the fundamental aspects of these processes requires a spectrum of theoretical models, each applicable in its own time and distance scales. As elements of this multi-model approach, molecular dynamics and binary collision simulations play complementary roles in the characterization of the primary damage state of high energy collision cascades. Molecular dynamics is needed to describe the individual point defects in the primary damage state with the requisite physical reality. The binary collision approximation is needed to model the gross structure of statistically significant numbers of high energy cascades. Information provided by both models is needed for connecting the defect production in the primary damage state with the appropriate models of defect diffusion and interaction describing the microstructure evolution. Results of binary collision simulations of high energy cascade morphology are reviewed. The energy dependence of freely migrating defect fractions calculated in recent molecular dynamics simulations are compared to results obtained much earlier with a binary collision/annealing simulation approach. The favorable agreement demonstrates the viability of the multi-model approach to defect production in high energy cascades.     

Nucleation of Pre-precipitates in Structural Materials under Cascade-Forming Irradiation

A model is proposed to calculate pre-precipitate nucleation rate in supersaturated solid solutions under cascade-forming irradiation. Estimates of the rate of nucleation of copper-enriched clusters in Fe–Cu solid solutions with a copper concentration of 0.05–0.18 at. % due to reactor irradiation are carried out. A comparison with the experimental data on irradiation of structural materials shows that the formation of precipitate nuclei takes place in the cascade region involved at the final stages of cascade relaxation, whose volume is about two times higher than the cascade volume at the dynamic stage.