THE USE OF MARKERS AND NUCLEAR MICROANALYSIS TO MONITOR ATOMIC TRANSPORT INDUCED BY ION BOMBARDMENT IN SOLIDS

Abstract

This paper describes an original methodology developed to study the atomic transport in a solid target bombarded with energetic ions. This methodology is based on the use of heavy marker atoms introduced in the near-surface layer of the investigated target and the analysis via nuclear microanalysis techniques of the modifications of the marker profile due to ion bombardment. Results obtained in the case of low- or medium-energy (<10 keV/u ) ion irradiation, leading to the well-known ion-beam-mixing process induced by nuclear elastic collisions, are reported in the first part. The second part deals with the less-investigated case of very-high-energy (>1 MeV/u ) ion irradiation, where a dramatic plastic deformation mechanism induced by electronic excitation has been recently discovered.