No Arabic abstract
The high energy density of electronic excitations due to the impact of swift heavy ions can induce structural modifications in materials. We present a X-ray diffractometer called ALIX, which has been set up at the low-energy IRRSUD beamline of the GANIL facility, to allow the study of structural modification kinetics as a function of the ion fluence. The X-ray setup has been modified and optimized to enable irradiation by swift heavy ions simultaneously to X-ray pattern recording. We present the capability of ALIX to perform simultaneous irradiation - diffraction by using energy discrimination between X-rays from diffraction and from ion-target interaction. To illustrate its potential, results of sequential or simultaneous irradiation - diffraction are presented in this article to show radiation effects on the structural properties of ceramics. Phase transition kinetics have been studied during xenon ion irradiation of polycrystalline MgO and SrTiO3. We have observed that MgO oxide is radiation-resistant to high electronic excitations, contrary to the high sensitivity of SrTiO3, which exhibits transition from the crystalline to the amorphous state during irradiation. By interpreting the amorphization kinetics of SrTiO3, defect overlapping models are discussed as well as latent track characteristics. Together with a transmission electron microscopy study, we conclude that a single impact model describes the phase transition mechanism.
There is considerable controversy about swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation induced displacive phase transitions in thermally insulating oxides. We present here unambiguous evidence for tetragonal to monoclinic and rhombohedral to monoclinic phase transitions in BaTiO3 under swift heavy ion irradiation (120MeV 108Ag+9 ions) using in-situ x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) studies. The anomalous splitting/broadening of 111/222pc, 200pc and 220pc pseudocubic peaks for fluences greater than 3*1012 ions/cm2 reveal structural changes before amorphization at higher fluences. Lebail analysis of XRPD profiles confirm that the monoclinic phase is of MA type in the Cm space group. Shear stress for the structural phase transition is estimated to be ~ 430MPa, which we believe is generated as a result of stopping of the SHI.
In this paper we show how single layer graphene can be utilized to study swift heavy ion (SHI) modifications on various substrates. The samples were prepared by mechanical exfoliation of bulk graphite onto SrTiO$_3$, NaCl and Si(111), respectively. SHI irradiations were performed under glancing angles of incidence and the samples were analysed by means of atomic force microscopy in ambient conditions. We show that graphene can be used to check whether the irradiation was successful or not, to determine the nominal ion fluence and to locally mark SHI impacts. In case of samples prepared in situ, graphene is shown to be able to catch material which would otherwise escape from the surface.
Different techniques of the X-ray Diffraction Line Profile Analysis (XRDLPA) have been used to assess the microstructure of the irradiated Zr-1.0%Nb-1.0%Sn-0.1%Fe alloy. The domain size, microstrain, density of dislocation and the stacking fault probabilities of the irradiated alloy have been estimated as a function of dose by the Williamson-Hall Technique, Modified Rietveld Analysis and the Double Voigt Method. A clear signature in the increase in the density of dislocation with the dose of irradiated was revealed. The analysis also estimated the average density of dislocation in the major slip planes after irradiation. For the first time, we have established the changes in the electron density distribution due to irradiation by X-ray diffraction technique. We could estimate the average displacement of the atoms and the lattice strain caused due to irradiation from the changes in the electron density distribution as observed in the contour plots.
In epitaxially strained ferroelectric thin films and superlattices, the ferroelectric transition temperature can lie above the growth temperature. Ferroelectric polarization and domains should then evolve during the growth of a sample, and electrostatic boundary conditions may play an important role. In this work, ferroelectric domains, surface termination, average lattice parameter and bilayer thickness are simultaneously monitored using in-situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction during the growth of BaTiO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ superlattices on SrTiO$_3$ substrates by off-axis RF magnetron sputtering. The technique used allows for scan times substantially faster than the growth of a single layer of material. Effects of electric boundary conditions are investigated by growing the same superlattice alternatively on SrTiO$_3$ substrates and 20nm SrRuO$_3$ thin films on SrTiO$_3$ substrates. These experiments provide important insights into the formation and evolution of ferroelectric domains when the sample is ferroelectric during the growth process.
This paper presents experimental data and analysis of the structural damage caused by swift-heavy ion irradiation of single-crystal diamond. The patterned buried structural damage is shown to generate, via swelling, a mirror-pattern on the sample surface, which remains largely damage-free. While extensive results are available for light ion implantations, this effect is reported here for the first time in the heavy ion regime, where a completely different range of input parameters (in terms of ion species, energy, stopping power, etc.) is available for customized irradiation. The chosen ion species are Au and Br, in the energy range 10-40 MeV. The observed patterns, as characterized by profilometry and atomic force microscopy, are reported in a series of model experiments, which show swelling patterns ranging from a few nm to above 200 nm. Moreover, a systematic phenomenological modelling is presented, in which surface swelling measurements are correlated to buried crystal damage. A comparison is made with data for light ion implantations, showing good compatibility with the proposed models. The modelling presented in this work can be useful for the design and realization of micropatterned surfaces in single crystal diamond, allowing to generate highly customized structures by combining appropriately chosen irradiation parameters and masks.