Chemical Disorder in 6H-SiC Irradiated with Both He and Fe Ions Followed by 1500 °C Annealing: Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy Analysis
Guoqiang You,
Sili Wang,
Haiyun Zhang,
Weihong Li,
Xueli Guo,
Shangmin Ru,
Bingsheng Li
Affiliations
Guoqiang You
Research and Development Center of Nuclear Technology (Non Clinical Evaluation of Radioactive Drugs) of National Atomic Energy Agency, China Institute for Radiation Protection, Taiyuan 030006, China
Sili Wang
Department of Reactor Engineering, China Institute of Atomic Energy, Beijing 102413, China
Haiyun Zhang
Tianjin Shuang’ and Labor Protection Rubber Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300221, China
Weihong Li
Tianjin Shuang’ and Labor Protection Rubber Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300221, China
Xueli Guo
Research and Development Center of Nuclear Technology (Non Clinical Evaluation of Radioactive Drugs) of National Atomic Energy Agency, China Institute for Radiation Protection, Taiyuan 030006, China
Shangmin Ru
Research and Development Center of Nuclear Technology (Non Clinical Evaluation of Radioactive Drugs) of National Atomic Energy Agency, China Institute for Radiation Protection, Taiyuan 030006, China
Bingsheng Li
State Key Laboratory for Environment-Friendly Energy Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
A good understanding of the chemical disorder in silicon carbide (SiC) after ion irradiation is crucial for evaluating structural stability in both semiconductor and nuclear power systems. In this study, 6H-SiC single-crystal was irradiated with 500 keV He and 2.5 MeV Fe ions at room temperature, followed by annealing at 1500 °C for 2 h. The chemical disorders were investigated by electron energy-loss spectroscopy with the transmission electron microscopy at 200 kV. Facetted voids were found in the end region of the damaged layer. Compared with the substrate region, the Si at.% was lower, while the values of C and O at.% were higher, in particular in inner voids. SiCOx (x < 1) bonds at the inner surface of the voids were detected. The energy losses of Si, C edges shifted to be lower in the damaged layer. The possible reason is discussed, and the research results will be used for understanding the ion irradiation-induced damage in SiC.
