Neutron Irradiation to Transmute Zinc into Gallium

Abstract

Modified 241Am-Be neutron beams showed an ability to change the optical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) photoluminescence (PL) spectra by transmuting zinc (Zn) into gallium (Ga) after irradiation. This study investigates the time required by slow neutron irradiation to register the transmutation of the Zn into Ga. Two series of samples from different suppliers hydrothermally (HT) grown by TEW Tokyo Denpa Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, and MTI corporation, China, are irradiated for 6, 12, 18, and 24 days on the Zn-polar face of each sample to specify the relationship between the irradiation intensity and transmutation.

Keywords

• zinc oxide
• gallium
• neutron
• photoluminescence
• transmute
• zinc isotopes