Thermal conductivity changes upon neutron transmutation of {sup 10}B doped diamond

Journal Article · Thu Aug 28 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4892888· OSTI ID:22314338

Verghese, K. ^[1]; Butler, J. E. ^[2]

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1. Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 (United States)
2. Code 6174, Naval research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia 20375 (United States)

{sup 10}B doped p-type diamond samples were subjected to neutron transmutation reaction using thermal neutron flux of 0.9 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2} s{sup −1} and fast neutron flux of 0.09 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}. Another sample of epilayer grown on type IIa (110) single crystal diamond substrate was subjected to equal thermal and fast neutron flux of 10{sup 14} cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}. The defects in the diamond samples were previously characterized by different methods. In the present work, thermal conductivity of these diamond samples was determined at room temperature by transient thermoreflectance method. The thermal conductivity change in the samples as a function of neutron fluence is explained by the phonon scattering from the point defects and disordered regions. The thermal conductivity of the diamond samples decreased more rapidly initially and less rapidly for larger neutron fluence. In addition, the thermal conductivity in type IIb diamond decreased less rapidly with thermal neutron fluence compared to the decrease in type IIa diamond subjected to fast neutron fluence. It is concluded that the rate of production of defects during transmutation reaction is slower when thermal neutrons are used. The thermal conductivity of epilayer of diamond subjected to high thermal and fast neutron fluence is associated with the covalent carbon network in the composite structure consisting of disordered carbon and sp{sup 2} bonded nanocrystalline regions.

• OSTI ID: 22314338
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 116, Issue 8; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BORON 10
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COVALENCE
DEFECTS
DIAMONDS
DOPED MATERIALS
FAST NEUTRONS
MONOCRYSTALS
NANOSTRUCTURES
NEUTRON FLUENCE
PHONONS
POINT DEFECTS
SCATTERING
SUBSTRATES
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMAL NEUTRONS
TRANSMUTATION