Surface composition modification of tungsten higher oxide under He<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion bombardment

The surface reduction of higher oxide WO₃ under irradiation by He⁺ ions with the energies 1 and 3 keV in a high vacuum is investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is found that lower WO₂ and intermediate WO _x (2 < x < 3) oxides form first in WO₃ surface layers under He⁺ ion bombardment, and with an increase in the irradiation dose metallic tungsten forms. It is shown that the degree of irradiated oxide surface metallization increases with an increase in the energy of the bombarding He⁺ ions. A comparison of WO₃ oxide surface composition modification under He⁺ and Ar⁺ ion irradiation is presented.     

Helium/hydrogen synergistic effect in reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel investigated by slow positron beam

Here, we investigated the irradiation defect in reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels by slow positron beam. Three ion-irradiation experiments were carried out: (i) He²⁺ irradiation, (ii) H⁺ irradiation and (iii) He²⁺ irradiation followed by H⁺ irradiation, at temperature 450?°C. The presences of vacancy defects, represented by ?S_He+H parameter, induced by sequential irradiations was larger than the sum of defects, ?S_He parameter + ?S_H parameter, caused by single He ions and single H ions. The synergistic effect of He and H was confirmed clearly from the perspective of positron annihilation spectroscopy.     

On the nature of ion bombardment-induced phase transformations in films of transition metals

Abstract

Electron diffraction studies have been made of polycrystalline Ni films irradiated with well separated beams of ions of different nature, namely ions of inert (He⁺, Ne⁺, Ar⁺, Kr⁺, Xe⁺) and reactive (N⁺ and O⁺) gases. The Ni films were prepared under vacuum conditions (P? 3·10^?6Pa during evaporation) preventing an appreciable contamination of the films with impurities. The samples were irradiated at T? 300 K with ion beams of energies from 10 to 100 keV in the dose range between 5·10¹⁶ cm^?2 and the value leading to sample destruction.

Irradiation with noble gas ions revealed no phase transitions in the Ni films. A similar result was obtained in irradiation of Fe and Cr films with He⁺ ions. The bombardment of Ni films with reactive gas ions does cause changes in the lattice structure of the samples under study, depending on the nature of the bombarding ions. The N⁺ ion bombardment gives rise to the hcp phase with the lattice parameters typical of the Ni₃N compound, and the O⁺ ion bombardment results in the fcc phase with the NiO-type parameter.

The conclusion is drawn on the chemical origin of the phase transformations in the Ni films under ion bombardment. The necessity of revising the concept about the polymorphous nature of phase transformations induced in the films of transition metals by ion bombardment is substantiated.     

A study of radiation damage by elastic scattering experiments

Abstract

Chaneling measurements are used to study the structure and configuration of defects produced in CdS under irradiation by 50–150 KeV Na⁺ ions at room temperature with a current density of 1 μA/cm² and irradiation dose 3.10¹⁵ ion/cm².

The results of studies of 1.8 MeV He⁺ ion dechaneling along the <1120> and <0001> axes are probably indicative of the defect structure extended along the <0001> axis.

For the dependence of the dechaneling cross-section on the ⁴He energy in the energy range 1.2 to 2.4 MeV we found E^?1, which characterizes the produced defects as randomly distributed complexes of interstitial atoms straining the crystal lattice.

The fact that the defects are mostly located along the <0001> direction can possibly be explained by strong anisotropy of CdS therefore the defects form the region of elastic stresses in the crystal which are maximum along the <0001> axis.     

Ion beam induced reaction of carbon films on Si(1 0 0)

The irradiation effects of 2 MeV He⁺ and Ar⁺ ions on the film structure of the C–Si system were investigated with RHEED and XPS. The formation of SiC phase and/or the growth of epitaxial SiC were possible by He⁺ irradiation for the carbon films up to 0.7 nm in thickness, which was thinner than that by Ar⁺ irradiation. The He⁺ irradiation could not grow the turbostratic graphite which could be grown by Ar⁺ irradiation. The mechanism of the formation and the epitaxial growth of SiC by ion irradiation was discussed from the view point of the energy transfer from the irradiated ions.     

Field ion and scanning tunnel microscopy studies of surface and bulk defects in carbon and silicon

Complex study of surface and bulk defects was performed by field ion and scanning tunnel microscopy. Specimens were irradiated by 20-to 50-keV He⁺, Ar⁺, and Bi⁺ ions at room temperature. The irradiation fluences were between 10¹⁸ and 10²⁰ ion m⁻². Calculated parameters of depletion zones and atomic displacement cascades were compared with theoretical estimates. It was shown that controlled ion bombardment of material surface is an effective tool for fabricating field-emission cathodes for vacuum microelectronics.     

Preferential sputtering of TIC under keV Ar+ ion bombardment: Simultaneous sputtering-ISS measurement with He+ and Ar+ ions

The composition change of the outermost atom layer of TiC(110) under ion bombardment with 1.5–3 keV He⁺ and He⁺ + Ar⁺ ions has been measured by ion scattering spectroscopy with He⁺ ions at different sample temperatures. It has been found that the preferential sputtering of C atoms takes place for both the He⁺ and Ar⁺ ion bombardment, however the preferred sputtering is more pronounced for Ar⁺ ions than for He⁺ ions. The ion bombardment with He⁺ ions at elevated sample temperatures hardly results in any change in surface composition below ～800°C, while Ar⁺ ion bombardment results in C enrichment for elevated temperatures as reported so far.     

Radiation damage of material surfaces under prolonged irradiation with He+ and Ar+ ions with broad energy spectra

The results of studying the redistribution of Be, Al, Ti, Fe, Cu, Zr, Mo, and W atoms incorporated in polycrystalline metal samples under irradiation with He⁺, (He⁺ + Ar⁺), and Ar⁺ ion beams with a broad energy spectrum and an average energy of 10 keV at irradiation doses of 1 × 10²¹ ion/cm² are studied. It is discovered that irradiation at doses exceeding 1 × 10¹⁹ ion/cm² results in local small-crystal formations being produced in a near-surface substrate layer. Their typical dimensions are less than 1–5 μm, and their the density is up to 1–100. They contain incorporated atoms and impurity atoms with a concentration of 0.1–10 at %. Subsequent irradiation at a dose of 1 × 10²⁰ ions/cm² or more leads to disappearance of these formations, mainly because of sputtering processes.     

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.     

Desorption of cluster ions from adsorbed methane under cryogenic condition by low-energy ion irradiation

We have investigated ion desorption from adsorbed methane following keV He⁺ ion irradiation. The thickness of the adsorbed layer was precisely controlled. For mono-layered methane, only monomer ions (CH_x⁺) were desorbed by 1 keV He⁺ ion irradiation. On the other hand, a large number of cluster ions (C_nH_x⁺) up to n = 20 were desorbed from multi-layered film. Among cluster ions, molecular ions with CC bonds were found, which indicates that chemical bonds are newly formed by ion irradiation. Based on the results for thickness dependences of the mass spectral patterns, it was elucidated that the monomer ions are desorbed from the top surface layer through single electron excitation. While the cluster ions are formed mainly in the inside of the layers along the nuclear track due to the high-density electronic excitation, which is produced by nuclear collision between incident He⁺ ions and frozen molecules.     

Charged cores in ionized He clusters

Experimental and theoretical studies in large ionic helium clusters have suggested the presence of a diatomic (and occasionally triatomic) charged molecular core surrounded by the other atoms which are bound to it by weaker interactions [1-3]. The understanding of the interactions between the system He ₂ ⁺ and an additional He atom of the cluster is therefore important in order to start modelling the full cluster interaction potential. In the present work we carry out a new set of calculations on the full potential and on the bound states supported by the He ₂ ⁺ isolated ion and further extend them to generate a Rigid Rotor (RR) potential energy surface (PES) for the triatomic system with He ₂ ⁺ kept at its equilibrium geometry (2.0 a.u.). The 13 bound states which were found and the overall angular anisotropy that exists for this Potential Energy Surface (PES) are discussed in detail. We additionally show results of calculations on the surface vibrational extension to nine different values of the He ₂ ⁺ interatomic distance, thereby generating a fuller, three-dimensional interaction potential. A simpler modelling of the latter via “Pseudo Rigid Rotor” calculations for the bound states with a vibrationally excited core is also presented and discussed.     

(e, 2e) triple differential cross section for ionization-excitation of helium

Simultaneous ionization and excitation of helium by electron impact is considered in an improved second Born approximation. The wave function of the low energy ejected electron is obtained in the field of residual He⁺ ion in 2s-state. The calculation has been done for the processe ⁻+He→e ⁻+He⁺(2s)+e ⁻ in the coplanar asymmetric geometry with Hartree-Fock wave function of Byron and Joachain for the helium ground state and the results are compared with the absolute experimental data of Dupreet al [J. Phys. B25, 259 (1992)] at ∼ 5.5 keV incident energy. Our results are found to increase the ratio of the recoil peak to binary peak intensity by about 30% over the first Born results and thus to bring it closer to the experimental data.     

Study of near surface layer of graphite produced by nitrogen ion bombardment at high doses

To study the modified surface layers of graphites and deposited films of sputtered material, the dependences of sputtering yield Y , and ion-electron emission coefficient γ on ion incidence angle and target temperature under high dose 30 keV N⁺ ₂ ion irradiation have been measured. In the angular range θ=0-80° Y and γ increase approximately as inverse cosθ, Y of POCO-AXF-5Q are 1.5 times larger than of MPG-LT. The dependences of γ (T) manifests a step-like behaviour typical for the radiation induced phase transitions. EPR analysis shows that at near room temperatures the point electron defects are typical of carbon and the defects due to carbon atoms interacting with 14 N nuclei. At elevated temperatures (≥ 300°C) there are the defects typical of graphite-like structures. The films deposited on glass collectors shows for cold targets only the defects typical of carbon, for the heated graphites - also the defects associated with C-¹⁴N nuclei interaction.     

Polarized electron capture by3He2+ at 20–28 keV

Nuclear polarization was measured by means of beam foil spectroscopy for a³He⁺ ion produced by an electron capture process of a³He²⁺ from a polarized sodium atom in an incident energy range from 20 to 28 keV. Assuming that a polarized electron of a sodium atom is predominantly captured to the 3d orbital of a³He⁺ ion andcascades down to the 1s ground state via the 2p orbital, an alignment factorA ₀ ^col (L=2) for the 3d orbital of a³He⁺ ion was extracted by comparing the observed initial sodium polarization andfinal nuclear polarization. The observedA ₀ ^col (L=2) showed a less pronounced energy dependence andwere qualitatively reproduced by the theoretical calculation.     

Effect of oxide surface metallization under ion-beam irradiation

Changes in the surface chemical composition of WO₃, Ta₂O₅, MoO₃, and Nb₂O₅ oxides after Ar⁺ ion irradiation and those of the WO₃ surface after He⁺ ion irradiation under high vacuum were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Upon Ar⁺ ion irradiation with an energy of 3 keV, the pronounced effect of ion-beam metallization was observed on the WO₃ oxide surface; a moderate effect was found for the Ta₂O₅ oxide surface; a weak one for the MoO₃ oxide surface; and no effect was discovered for the Nb₂O₅ oxide surface. At the saturation dose, 44 at % W, 12 at % Ta, and 2 at % Mo form on the oxide surfaces. Irradiation by light He⁺ ions with energies of 1 and 3 keV results in WO₃ surface metallization. At the saturation dose, 2 and 10 at % W (at 1 and 3 keV, respectively) forms on the oxide surface. The nature, mechanisms, and features of the oxide surface metallization effect induced by ion-beam irradiation are discussed.     

Phase transformation in He+ and H+ ion irradiated type 304 stainless steel

γ (fcc)→α (bcc) phase transformation in type 304 stainless steel has been observed after irradiation of He⁺ and H⁺ ions up to fluence levels of 10¹⁷ and 10¹⁹ ions/cm², respectively. Depth selective conversion Mössbauer spectroscopy and surface-sensitive X-ray diffractometry were employed to study the effect of irradiation. It is shown that the amount of the ion induced phase is highly sensitive to the fluence, the ion species and depth from the surface. It is worth noting that H⁺ ion irradiation is rather ineffective in inducing the transformation.     

Investigation of the radiation damage to a single crystal of KCl using the method of backward scattering and chaneling of hydrogen and helium ions

The method of channeling and backward scattering of H⁺ and He⁺ ions has been used to analyze the radiation defects in a single crystal of KCl when the crystal is irradiated with H⁺ and He⁺ ions with energies of 1 MeV. The position of the displaced atoms in the crystal lattice was determined and the value of the cross section for the formation of radiation defects and their rate of formation as a function of the radiation dose and orientation of the bombarded beam with respect to the 100 crystallographic axes of the crystal are found. The effect of an external electric field on the formation of the radiation defects was investigated. The effects of irradiation with H⁺ and He⁺ ions are compared with one another. It is shown that mechanisms connected with ionization and excitation of the crystal atoms make the main contribution to the formation of defects.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 49–53, March, 1980.     

ISS measurement of surface composition of AuCu alloys by simultaneous ion bombardments with Ar+ and He + ions

Surface composition of Au-Cu(43 at%) alloy under 1.5–5 keV argon ion bombardment has been investigated by ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS). In this experiment, we adopted a specific technique to use mixed He⁺ and Ar⁺ ions as primary beam in order to perform sputtering (Ar⁺) and ISS measurement (He⁺) simultaneously. The outermost atom layer of Au-Cu alloys under Ar⁺ ion bombardment is Au-rich leading to the conclusion that Ar⁺ ion bombardment of AuCu alloys causes the preferential sputtering of Cu atoms, resulting in a Au-rich outermost atom layer and a depletion layer of Au atoms beneath the outermost atom layer due to ion-beam-enhanced surface segregation. This result explains the experimental results obtained by AES as well.     

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.