Radiation damage in zircon by high-energy electron beams

Journal Article · Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3151704· OSTI ID:21352254

Nan, Jiang; Spence, John C. H. ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1504 (United States)

Radiation damage induced by high-energy (200 keV) electron irradiation in zircon has been studied thoroughly using imaging, diffraction, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy techniques in transmission electron microscopy. Both structural and compositional changes during the damage were measured using the above techniques in real time. It was found that the damage was mainly caused by the preferential sputtering of O. The loss of O occurred initially within small sporadic regions with dimension of several nanometers, resulting in the direct transformation of zircon into Zr{sub x}Si{sub y}. These isolated patches gradually connect each other and eventually cover the whole area of the electron beam. These differ from the previous observations either in the self-irradiated natural and synthetic zircon or in ion-beam irradiated thin zircon specimen.

• OSTI ID: 21352254
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 105, Issue 12; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3151704; (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AMORPHOUS STATE
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRONS
ENERGY-LOSS SPECTROSCOPY
ION BEAMS
IRRADIATION
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
RADIATION EFFECTS
SPUTTERING
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ZIRCON
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS
BEAMS
COHERENT SCATTERING
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
LEPTON BEAMS
LEPTONS
MICROSCOPY
MINERALS
PARTICLE BEAMS
SCATTERING
SILICATE MINERALS
SPECTROSCOPY
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS