Microstructure damage of thin aluminum films by irradiation with alpha particles and fission fragments
- Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics, 100 Radiation Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-5903 (United States)
- Radiation Center, 100 Radiation Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-5903 (United States)
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Radiation Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-5903 (United States)
The atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to study the microstructure damage of thin aluminum film surfaces induced by bombardment of alpha particles and fission fragments from {sup 252}Cf source. Different types of defects (dislocations lines, loops, voids, and blisters) and their complex morphologies appeared under both the beam of alpha particles and a mix of alpha particles and fission fragments. The first surface damage became clearly visible only after 250 hr irradiation of a mix of alpha particles and fission fragments (8.65 x 10{sup 8} ff/cm{sup 2} and 1.36 x 10{sup 10} {alpha}/cm{sup 2}). The number of voids and dislocation lines created on the aluminum surface were (3.8 {+-} 0.8) x 10{sup 7} cm{sup -2} and (2.1 {+-} 0.8) x 10{sup 6} cm{sup -2}, respectively. Single blisters were observed with the mean diameter of (933 {+-} 22) nm and the mean height of (102 {+-} 15) nm. The first ellipsoidal dislocation loops appeared at the fluence of (1.03 x 10{sup 9} ff/cm{sup 2} and 1.62 x 10{sup 10} {alpha}/cm{sup 2}). However, these ellipsoidal loops were not seen with low energetic alpha particles at the same fluence. Our results suggest that the fission fragments might maximize large voids and dislocations and increase the degradation in depth resolution. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 20979707
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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