快重离子束实现点火的可行性

采用蒙特卡罗方法计算了低温下C,Si,Ar,Au和U等多种重粒子在等物质的量氘氚等离子体密度1000 g/cm3、热斑直径50 m中的电子能量损失,不同点火形式下入射能量和作用时间,以及燃料约束时间为20 ps条件下的束流强度。通过对数据的分析研究了这些重粒子辐照实现氘、氚燃料快点火的可能性。结果表明,重粒子束流加热等离子体实现快点火理论上可行,而且有一定的优势;较重的离子加热聚变等离子体的效果更好。重粒子束流加热等离子体到聚变温度需要的束流强度在MA左右;单个粒子的能量在GeV以上;相互作用时间为ps以下。     

快重离子束实现点火的可行性

采用蒙特卡罗方法计算了低温下C,Si,Ar,Au和U等多种重粒子在等物质的量氘氚等离子体密度1000 g/cm3、热斑直径50 m中的电子能量损失,不同点火形式下入射能量和作用时间,以及燃料约束时间为20 ps条件下的束流强度。通过对数据的分析研究了这些重粒子辐照实现氘、氚燃料快点火的可能性。结果表明,重粒子束流加热等离子体实现快点火理论上可行,而且有一定的优势;较重的离子加热聚变等离子体的效果更好。重粒子束流加热等离子体到聚变温度需要的束流强度在MA左右;单个粒子的能量在GeV以上;相互作用时间为ps以下。     

Surface modifications by swift heavy-ion irradiation of indium phosphide

InP (001) samples were irradiated with 200 MeV Au ions at different fluences. The surface nanotopographical changes due to increasing fluence of swift heavy ions were observed by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), where the onset of a large increase in surface roughness for fluences sufficient to cause complete surface amorphization was observed. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) was used to observe bulk-ion tracks that formed in InP, and high resolution TEM (HRTEM) revealed that single-ion tracks might not be amorphous in nature. Surface-ion tracks were observed by AFM in the form of ill-defined pits (hollows) of ~12 nm in diameter (width). In addition, Rutherford backscattering was utilized to follow the formation of disorder to amorphization in the irradiated material. The interpretation of the large increase in surface roughness with the onset of amorphization can be attributed to the plastic phenomena induced by the change of states from crystalline to amorphous by ion irradiation. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Binary stopping theory for swift heavy ions

The Bohr theory treats charged-particle stopping as a sequence of interactions with classical target electrons bound harmonically to their equilibrium positions. We demonstrate that equivalent results can be derived on the assumption of free binary collisions governed by a suitable effective potential. This kind of mapping is rigorous in the limits of distant and close collisions and therefore provides a tool to evaluate energy losses via binary-scattering theory. This model was developed with the aim of calculating stopping forces for heavy ions at moderately high velocities, where a classical-orbital calculation is typically superior to the Born approximation. The effective potential employed holds equally well for dressed as for stripped ions. Unlike the Bohr theory, the present evaluation avoids a formal division into regimes of close and distant collisions that do not necessarily join smoothly. Moreover, no perturbation expansion is necessary. For these reasons the overall accuracy as well as the range of validity of the Bohr model are significantly enhanced. Extensive tests have been performed, including comparisons with rigorous evaluations of the Z ₁ ³ effect, with excellent agreement even where such was not necessarily expected. Moreover, credible results have been obtained under conditions where the perturbation expansion shows poor convergence. A comparison with experimental data on O–Al is encouraging, even though shell corrections and projectile excitation/ionization have not yet been incorporated and input has not yet been optimized. Received 21 April 2000 and Received in final form 16 June 2000 An erratum to this article is available at .     

A numerical study of energy transfer mechanisms in materials following irradiation by swift heavy ions

Swift heavy ions interact with electrons in materials and this may yield permanent atomic displacements; the energy transfer mechanisms that bring electronic excitations into atomic motion are not fully understood, and are generally discussed in terms of two theories, viz. Coulomb explosion and heat exchange between excited electrons and atoms, which is limited by electron-phonon coupling. We address this problem for a “generic” material using a semi-classical numerical approach where the dynamics of the evolving electron density is calculated by using molecular dynamics simulations applied to pseudo-electrons. The forces exerted on the nuclei are then used to calculated the trajectories of the nuclei. From the temporal evolution of the atomic kinetic energy, we find that the energy transfer between the electrons and the nuclei can be divided in two parts. First, a Coulomb heating starts the motion of the atoms by giving them a radial speed; this process differs from Coulomb explosion because the atoms are not displaced over interatomic distances. Second, a thermal energy transfer, as described in linear transport theory, takes place. Our study thus confirms the domination of thermal energy exchange mechanisms over Coulomb explosion models.     

Modification of thin-layer systems by swift heavy ions

The electronic energy loss of swift heavy ions (MeV/amu) within a solid results in a highly excited cylindrical zone of some nm in diameter, within which all atoms may be in motion for some tens of ps (transient local melting). After cooling down, a defect-rich or even amorphous latent track is left in many cases, especially in insulating materials. The resulting property alterations (density, micro-structure, morphology, phase composition, etc.) have been investigated for many bulk materials, while only very few experiments have been carried out with thin-film systems. In the present paper, a summary will be given of our studies on the transport of matter in thin-film packages induced by irradiation with high-energy ions. These is, on the one hand, atomic mixing at the interfaces, which is especially pronounced in ceramic systems and which seems to occur by interdiffusion in the molten ion track. On the other hand, we have discovered a self-organisation phenomenon in swift-heavy-ion-irradiated NiO layers, which at low fluences first showed periodic cracking perpendicular to the projected beam direction. After application of high fluences, the NiO layer was reorganised in 100-nm-thick and 1-μm-high NiO lamellae of the same separation distance (1–3 μm) and orientation as found for the cracks. Both effects can be attributed to transient melting of the material surrounding the ion trajectory. Received: 11 November 2002 / Accepted: 12 November 2002 / Published online: 4 April 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-711/6853-866, E-mail: bolse@ifs.physik.uni-stuttgart.de     

Evolution of surface morphology of NiO thin films under swift heavy ion irradiation

NiO nanoparticle thin films grown on Si substrates were irradiated by 107 MeV Ag⁸⁺ ions. The films were characterized by glancing angle X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. Ag ion irradiation was found to influence the shape and size of the nanoparticles. The pristine NiO film consisted of uniform size (∼100 nm along major axis and ∼55 nm along minor axis) elliptical particles, which changed to also of uniform size (∼63 nm) circular shape particles on irradiation at a fluence of 3 × 10¹³ ions cm⁻². Comparison of XRD line width analysis and AFM data revealed that the particles in the pristine films are single crystalline, which turn to polycrystalline on irradiation with 107 MeV Ag ions.     

Structural phase diagram for ZnS nanocrystalline thin films under swift heavy ion irradiation

The synthesis of nanocrystalline ZnS thin films by pulsed laser deposition and their modification by swift heavy ions are presented. The irradiations with 150 MeV Ni ions at fluences of 1×10¹¹, 1×10¹² and 1×10¹³ ions/cm² have been used for these studies. Irradiation results in structural phase transformation and bandgap modification of these films are investigated by using X-ray diffraction and UV-visible absorption measurements, respectively. Since stoichiometry changes induced by irradiation can contribute to the modification of these properties, elastic recoil detection analysis has been performed on pristine and 150 MeV Ni ions irradiated ZnS thin films using a 120 MeV Ag ion beam. The stoichiometry of the films has been found to be similar for pristine and ion irradiated samples. A structural phase diagram based on thermal and pressure spikes has been constructed to explain the structural phase transformation.     

Opto-chemical response of Makrofol-KG to swift heavy ion irradiation

In the present study, the effects of swift heavy ion beam irradiation on the structural, chemical and optical properties of Makrofol solid-state nuclear track detector (SSNTD) were investigated. Makrofol-KG films of 40 μm thickness were irradiated with oxygen beam (O^8 +) with fluences ranging between 10¹⁰ ion/cm² and 10¹² ion/cm². Structural, chemical and optical properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy and UV–visible spectroscopy methods. It is observed that the direct and indirect band gaps of Makrofol-KG decrease after the irradiation. The XRD study shows that the crystalline size in the films decreases at higher fluences. The intensity plots of FTIR measurements indicate the degradation of Makrofol at higher fluences. Roughness of the surface increases at higher fluence.     

Strain modification of AlGaN layers using swift heavy ions

Epitaxial AlGaN/GaN layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on SiC substrates were irradiated with 150 MeV Ag ions at a fluence of 5×10¹² ions/cm². The samples used in this study are 50 nm Al_0.2Ga_0.8N/1 nm AlN/1 μ m GaN/0.1 μ m AlN grown on SI 4H-SiC. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry/channeling strain measurements were carried out on off-normal axis of irradiated and unirradiated samples. In an as-grown sample, AlGaN layer is partially relaxed with a small tensile strain. After irradiation, this strain increases by 0.22% in AlGaN layer. Incident ion energy dependence of dechanneling parameter shows E ^1/2 dependence, which corresponds to the dislocations. Defect densities were calculated from the E ^1/2 graph. As a result of irradiation, the defect density increased on both GaN and AlGaN layers. The effect of irradiation induced-damages are analyzed as a function of material properties. Observed results from different characterization techniques such as RBS/channeling, high-resolution XRD and AFM are compared and complemented with each other to deduce the information. Possible mechanisms responsible for the observations have been discussed in detail.     

Surface disorder in c-Si induced by swift heavy ions

The disorders induced in crystalline silicon (c-Si) through the process of electronic energy loss in the swift heavy ion irradiation were investigated. A number of silicon <1 0 0> samples were irradiated with 65 MeV oxygen ions at different fluences, 1×10¹³ to 1.5×10¹⁴ ions/cm², and characterized by the Raman spectroscopy, the optical reflectivity, the X-ray reflectivity, the atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The intensity, redshift, phonon coherence length and asymmetric broadening associated with the Raman peaks reveal that stressed and disordered lattice zones are produced in the surface region of the irradiated silicon. The average crystallite size, obtained by analyzing Raman spectrum with the phonon confinement model, was very large in the virgin silicon but decreased to<100 nm dimension in the ion irradiated silicon. The results of the X-ray reflectivity, AFM and optical reflectivity of 200–700 nm radiation indicate that the roughness of the silicon surface has enhanced substantially after ion irradiation. The diffusion of oxygen in silicon surface during ion irradiation is evident from the oscillation in the X-ray reflectivity spectrum and the sharp decrease in the reflectivity of 200–400 nm radiation. The rise in temperature, estimated from the heat spike model, was high enough to melt the local silicon surface. The results of XRD indicate that lattice defects have been induced and a new plane <2 1 1> has been formed in the silicon <1 0 0>after ion irradiation. The results of the present study show that the energy deposited in crystalline silicon through the process of electronic energy loss ～0.944 keV/nm per ion is sufficient to induce disorders of appreciable magnitude in the silicon surface even at a fluence of ～10¹³ ions/cm².     

Study of intermixing and Zr-silicide formation using swift heavy ion irradiation

Swift heavy ion (SHI) beam induced irradiation is an established technique for investigating structural modifications in thin films depending on the S _e sensitivity of material. Intermixing due to 120 MeV Au ion irradiation at different fluences from 10¹² to 10¹⁴ ions/cm² has been reported as a function of ion fluence in a-Si/Zr/a-Si thin films on Si substrate. The samples are characterized before (pristine) and after irradiation using Grazing Incident X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), which confirm the formation of ZrSi at thin film interface. It is suggested that mixing is mainly due to electronic energy loss since the energy transferred from high energy ions seems to create a transient molten zone along the ion track. It is found that the interface mixing increases linearly with the increase in ion fluence. The mixing effect explained in the framework of Thermal spike model. The irradiation effect on the surface roughness of the system is measured using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) technique. The current conduction mechanism and Schottky barrier height are also calculated by taking I–V curves across the Metal/Si junction.     

Physical mechanism of swift heavy ion irradiation effect in graphene

ABSTRACT

The damage production induced by swift heavy ion irradiation in single-layer graphene (SLG) is investigated by molecular dynamics method. By given energy to a cylindrical region, the latent track consisting of nanopore and non-six-member rings can be produced, which depends on the electronic energy loss (dE/dx). For SLG, the minimum value needed to generate defects lies in 6.5–10?keV/nm. The latent track formation begins with the decomposition of the structure in energy deposition region until the atomic fragments escape from the surface and gradually decompose into atomic clusters. At the same time, the structure of system also changes. The source power of this phenomena is the accumulation and outward propagation of atomic stress in energy deposition region.     

Raman spectrum study of graphite irradiated by swift heavy ions

Highly oriented pyrolytic graphites are irradiated with 40.5-Me V and 67.7-Me V ^112Sn-ions in a wide range of fluences： 1×10^11 ions/cm^2–1×10^14ions/cm^2. Raman spectra in the region between 1200 cm^-1 and 3500cm^-1 show that the disorder induced by Sn-ions increases with ion fluence increasing. However, for the same fluence, the amount of disorder is greater for 40.5-Me V Sn-ions than that observed for 67.7-Me V Sn-ions, even though the latter has a slightly higher value for electronic energy loss. This is explained by the ion velocity effect. Importantly, ～ 3-cm^-1frequency shift toward lower wavenumber for the D band and ～ 6-cm^-1 shift toward lower wavenumber for the 2D band are observed at a fluence of 1×10^14 ions/cm^2, which is consistent with the scenario of radiation-induced strain. The strain formation is interpreted in the context of inelastic thermal spike model, and the change of the 2D band shape at high ion fluence is explained by the accumulation of stacking faults of the graphene layers activated by radiation-induced strain around ion tracks. Moreover,the hexagonal structure around the ion tracks is observed by scanning tunneling microscopy, which confirms that the strains near the ion tracks locally cause electronic decoupling of neighboring graphene layers.     

Integrated approach to the electronic interaction of swift heavy ions with solids and gases

The two most prominent processes of ion-matter interaction are the energy loss and charge exchange, whereby the first depends on the charge state of the ion as determined by the latter. However, up to now there has existed no closed calculation of these two major processes. We herewith present, within an integrated approach, a Monte Carlo calculation which intrinsically entails target ionization/excitation, as well as charge exchange and projectile ionization/excitation on equal footing, especially extended to the situation of ion-solid interaction.     

Lattice damage in InGaN induced by swift heavy ion irradiation

The microstructural responses of In_0.32Ga_0.68N and In_0.9Ga_0.1N films to 2.25 GeV Xe ion irradiation have been investigated using x-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, ion channeling and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the In-rich In_0.9Ga_0.1N is more susceptible to irradiation than the Ga-rich In_0.32Ga_0.68N. Xe ion irradiation with a fluence of 7× 10¹¹ ions·cm^-2 leads to little damage in In_0.32Ga_0.68N but an obvious lattice expansion in In_0.9Ga_0.1N. The level of lattice disorder in In_0.9Ga_0.1N increases after irradiation, due to the huge electronic energy deposition of the incident Xe ions. However, no Xe ion tracks were observed to be formed, which is attributed to the very high velocity of 2.25 GeV Xe ions. Point defects and/or small defect clusters are probably the dominant defect type in Xe-irradiated In_0.9Ga_0.1N.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of structural changes in metals under irradiation with high-energy heavy ions

To study the processes of irradiating metals with high-energy heavy ions, a thermal spike model is often used, i.e., a system of electron-gas thermal conductivity equations and a lattice. Upon the irradiation of materials with high-energy heavy ions, more than 90% of the energy is consumed in the excitation of the electronic subsystem of the irradiated material. Further, this energy is transferred to the lattice subsystem and there is high heating of the lattice in a small volume, which can cause melting (evaporation), resulting in a structural change (amorphization, formation of high pressure areas, tracks, etc.) in the irradiated material. This work is devoted to studying structural changes in the surface of nickel by irradiation with high-energy ions of uranium. The thermal spike model is used for the initial distribution of temperature conditions in the irradiated nickel, which imitates the action of radiation on a molecular-dynamic system. The further evolution of the system is studied by molecular dynamics. As part of this approach, the processes of structural changes on the surface of the irradiated target can be investigated in more detail.     

Surface modifications of ultra-thin gold films by swift heavy ion irradiation

Gold films of thickness 10 and 20 nm grown on float glass substrate by thermal evaporation technique were irradiated with 107 MeV Ag⁸⁺ and 58 MeV Ni⁵⁺ ions at different fluences and characterized by Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The pristine films were continuous and no island structures were found even at these small thicknesses. The surface roughness estimated from AFM data did not show either monotonic increase or decrease with ion fluences. Instead, it increased at low fluences and decreased at high fluences for 20 nm thick film. In the 10 nm film roughness first increased with ion fluence, then decreased and again increased at higher fluences. The pattern of variation, however, was identical for Ni and Ag beams. Both the beams led to the formation of cracks on the film surface at intermediate fluences. The observed ion-irradiation induced thickness dependent topographic modification is explained by the spatial confinement of the energy deposited by ions in the reduced dimension of the films.