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Ion irradiation damage in ilmenite at 100 K

January 1, 1997

A natural single crystal of ilmenite (FeTiO3) was irradiated at 100 K with 200 keV Ar2+. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and ion channeling with 2 MeV He+ ions were used to monitor damage accumulation in the surface region of the implanted crystal. At an irradiation fluence of 1 ?? 1015 Ar2+/cm2, considerable near-surface He+ ion dechanneling was observed, to the extent that ion yield from a portion of the aligned crystal spectrum reached the yield level of a random spectrum. This observation suggests that the near-surface region of the crystal was amorphized by the implantation. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction on this sample confirmed the presence of a 150 nm thick amorphous layer. These results are compared to similar investigations on geikielite (MgTiO3) and spinel (MgAl2O4) to explore factors that may influence radiation damage response in oxides.

Publication Year 1997
Title Ion irradiation damage in ilmenite at 100 K
DOI 10.1016/S0168-583X(96)01140-8
Authors J.N. Mitchell, N. Yu, R. Devanathan, K.E. Sickafus, M.A. Nastasi, G.L. Nord
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
Index ID 70019923
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse