ELECTRON IRRADIATION OF SOLIDS
Abstract
A method is presented for altering physical properties of certain solids, such as enhancing the usefulness of solids, in which atomic interchange occurs through a vacancy mechanism, electron irradiation, and temperature control. In a centain class of metals, alloys, and semiconductors, diffusion or displacement of atoms occurs through a vacancy mechanism, i.e., an atom can only move when there exists a vacant atomic or lattice site in an adjacent position. In the process of the invention highenergy electron irradiation produces additional vacancies in a solid over those normally occurring at a given temperature and allows diffusion of the component atoms of the solid to proceed at temperatures at which it would not occur under thermal means alone in any reasonable length of time. The invention offers a precise way to increase the number of vacancies and thereby, to a controlled degree, change the physical properties of some materials, such as resistivity or hardness.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- OSTI Identifier:
- 4199843
- Patent Number(s):
- 2911533
- Assignee:
- U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21H - OBTAINING ENERGY FROM RADIOACTIVE SOURCES
- NSA Number:
- NSA-14-007856
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-60
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- METALS, CERAMICS, AND MATERIALS; ALLOYS; ATOMS; CONTROL; DEFECTS; DIFFUSION; ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY; ELECTRONS; HARDNESS; LATTICES; METALS; PRODUCTION; RADIATION EFFECTS; SEMICONDUCTORS; SOLIDS; TEMPERATURE
Citation Formats
Damask, A C. ELECTRON IRRADIATION OF SOLIDS. United States: N. p., 1959.
Web.
Damask, A C. ELECTRON IRRADIATION OF SOLIDS. United States.
Damask, A C. Sun .
"ELECTRON IRRADIATION OF SOLIDS". United States.
@article{osti_4199843,
title = {ELECTRON IRRADIATION OF SOLIDS},
author = {Damask, A C},
abstractNote = {A method is presented for altering physical properties of certain solids, such as enhancing the usefulness of solids, in which atomic interchange occurs through a vacancy mechanism, electron irradiation, and temperature control. In a centain class of metals, alloys, and semiconductors, diffusion or displacement of atoms occurs through a vacancy mechanism, i.e., an atom can only move when there exists a vacant atomic or lattice site in an adjacent position. In the process of the invention highenergy electron irradiation produces additional vacancies in a solid over those normally occurring at a given temperature and allows diffusion of the component atoms of the solid to proceed at temperatures at which it would not occur under thermal means alone in any reasonable length of time. The invention offers a precise way to increase the number of vacancies and thereby, to a controlled degree, change the physical properties of some materials, such as resistivity or hardness.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {1959},
month = {11}
}