Recovery effects due to the interaction between nuclear and electronic energy losses in SiC irradiated with a dual-ion beam

Single and dual-beam ion irradiations of silicon carbide (SiC) were performed to study possible Synergetic effects between Nuclear (S-n) and Electronic (S-e) Energy Losses. Results obtained combining Rutherford backscattering in channeling conditions, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques show that dual-beam irradiation of SiC induces a dramatic change in the final sample microstructure with a substantial decrease of radiation damage as compared to single-beam irradiation. Actually, a defective layer containing dislocations is formed upon dual-beam irradiation (S-n&S-e), whereas single low-energy irradiation (S-n alone) or even sequential (S-n + S-e) irradiations lead to full amorphization. The healing process is ascribed to the electronic excitation arising from the electronic energy loss of swift ions. These results shed new light on the long-standing puzzling problem of the existence of a possible synergy between S-n and Se in ion-irradiation experiments. This work is interesting for both fundamental understanding of the ion-solid interactions and technological applications in the nuclear industry where recovery S-n/S-e effects may preserve the integrity of nuclear devices. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.