ANNEALING OF NEUTRON RADIATION DAMAGE IN p-TYPE PbTe

Technical Report · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1962

OSTI ID:4709398

Correlli, J C; Amorosi, D M

The measurement of conductivity, Seebeck, and Hall coefficient changes in p-type PbTe caused by reactor irradiation was extended in a specimen to a reaction-radiation dose of 4.4 x 10/sup 19/ neutrons/cm/sup 2/ with energy greater than 1 Mev and a thermal-neutron dose of 1.5 x 10/sup 21/ neutrons/ cm/ sup 2/. Sample temperature during irradiation was 60 ction in DDT-C/ 20 nif- C. Permanent changes caused by thermal-neutron transmutations were negligible (< 3 percent), indicating that all the damage is annealable and caused by fast neutron-induced defects. Based on previous irradiation test results and those which follow, a phenomenological model which predicts the behavior of n- and p-type PbTe at possible operating temperatures during reactor irradiation is presented. The carrier-concentration decrease caused by irradiation of the specimen was a factor of 5.3 less than the pretest measurement. This factor accounts for most of the increase in Seebeck coefficient (factor 2.9). Analysis of the annealing effects on electrical conductivity (decreased by a factor 7.6) yields an activation energy for defect migration of sup 14/ recover 0.55 ev. Isothermal annealing experiments indicate the simultaneous recovery of conductivity, Hall, and Seebeck coefficients for temperatures in the range 88 to 162 nif- C. (auth)

• Research Organization: Knolls Atomic Power Lab., Schenectady, N.Y.
• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-52
• NSA Number: NSA-17-018857
• OSTI ID: 4709398
• Report Number(s): KAPL-2226
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACTIVATION
ANNEALING
DEFECTS
DIFFUSION
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ENERGY
FAST NEUTRONS
HALL EFFECT
IRRADIATION
LEAD COMPOUNDS
MEASURED VALUES
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
NEUTRON BEAMS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTORS
RECOVERY
SEEBECK EFFECT
TELLURIUM COMPOUNDS
TEMPERATURE
THERMAL NEUTRONS
THERMOELECTRICITY