In situ TEM investigation of electron irradiation and aging-induced high-density nanoprecipitates in an Mg-10Gd-3Y-1Zn-0.5Zr alloy

In-situ electron irradiation and aging are applied to introduce high-density precipitates in an Mg-10Gd-3Y-1Zn-0.5Zr(GWZ1031K,wt.%)alloy to improve the hardness.The results show that the hardness of the Mg alloy after irradiation for 10 h and aging for 9 h at 250℃ is 1.64 GPa,which is approximately 64% higher than that of the samples before being treated.It is mainly attributed to γ'precipitates on the basal plane after irradiation and the high-density nanoscale β'precipitates on the prismatic plane after aging,which should be closely related to the irradiation-induced homogenous clusters.The latter plays a key role in precipitation hardening.This result paves a way to improve the mechanical properties of metallic materials by tailoring the precipitation through irradiation and aging.

Deformation defects and electron irradiation effect in nanostructured Al-Mg alloy processed by severe plastic deformation

In order to explore the exact nature of deformation defects previously observed in nanostructured Al-Mg alloys subjected to severe plastic deformation, a more thorough examination of the radiation effect on the formation of the planar defects in the high pressure torsion （HPT） alloys was conducted using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. The results show that high density defects in the HRTEM images disappear completely when these images are exposed under the electron beam for some duration of time. At the same time, lattice defects are never observed within no-defect areas even when the beam-exposure increases to the degree that holes appear in the areas. Therefore, it is confirmed that the planar defects observed in the HPT alloys mainly result from the significant plastic deformation and are not due to the radiation effect during HRTEM observation.

Effect of electron beam irradiation on multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） were irradiated with focused electron beams in a transmission electron microscope at room temperature. The results showed that carbon nanotubes had no obvious structural damages but only shell bending under 100 keV electron beam irradiation. However, when the electron energy increased to 200 keV, the nanotubes were damaged and amorphization, pits and gaps were detected. Furthermore, generating of carbon onions and welding between two MWCNTs occurred under 200 keV electron irradiation. It was easy to destroy the MWCNTs as the electron beams exceeded the displacement threshold energy that was calculated to be 83-110 keV. Conversely, the energy of electron beams below the threshold energy was not able to damage the tubes. The damage mechanism is sputtering and atom displacement.

Visible to deep ultraviolet range optical absorption of electron irradiated borosilicate glass

To study the room-temperature stable defects induced by electron irradiation, commercial borosilicate glasses were irradiated by 1.2 MeV electrons and then ultraviolet（UV） optical absorption（OA） spectra were measured. Two characteristic bands were revealed before irradiation, and they were attributed to silicon dangling bond（E＇-center） and Fe^3＋species,respectively. The existence of Fe3＋was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance（EPR） measurements. After irradiation, the absorption spectra revealed irradiation-induced changes, while the content of E＇-center did not change in the deep ultraviolet（DUV） region. The slightly reduced OA spectra at 4.9 eV was supposed to transform Fe3＋species to Fe^2＋species and this transformation leads to the appearance of 4.3 eV OA band. By calculating intensity variation, the transformation of Fe was estimated to be about 5% and the optical absorption cross section of Fe2＋species is calculated to be 2.2 times larger than that of Fe^3＋species. Peroxy linkage（POL, ≡Si–O–O–Si≡）, which results in a 3.7 eV OA band, is speculated not to be from Si–O bond break but from Si–O–B bond, Si–O–Al bond, or Si–O–Na bond break. The co-presence defect with POL is probably responsible for 2.9-eV OA band.

Photocarrier radiometry for noncontact evaluation of space monocrystalline silicon solar cell under low-energy electron irradiation

A space monocrystalline silicon（c-Si） solar cell under low-energy（〈 1 MeV） electron irradiation was investigated using noncontact photocarrier radiometry（PCR）. Monte Carlo simulation（MCS） was employed to characterize the effect of different energy electron irradiation on the c-Si solar cell. The carrier transport parameters（carrier lifetime, diffusion coefficient, and surface recombination velocities） were obtained by best fitting the experimental results with a theoretical one-dimensional two-layer PCR model. The results showed that the increase of the irradiation electron energy caused a large reduction of the carrier lifetime and diffusion length. Furthermore, the rear surface recombination velocity of the Si：p base of the solar cell at the irradiation electron energy of 1 Me V was dramatically enhanced due to 1 MeV electron passing through the whole cell. Short-circuit current（I sc） degradation evaluated by PCR was in good agreement with that obtained by electrical measurement.

Synthesis of a Ag/Ag Cl/PLA membrane under electron beam irradiation for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and chloramphenicol

Polylactic acid(PLA)has been extensively applied in the fields of biology and renewable biodegradable materials because of its superior biodegradability.PLA has excellent potential as a renewable biodegradable adsorbent in wastewater treatment.However,its poor photocatalytic properties have hindered its practical application.In this study,polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVPP)or glutaraldehyde(GA)was utilized as an adhesive agent to prepare Ag/AgCl/PLA photocatalysts with highly efficient visible light photocatalysis on a PLA fabric by utilizing the electron beam irradiation method.The photocatalytic activities of the Ag/AgCl/PLA samples were examined under visible light irradiation to analyze the degradation of methylene blue(MB)and chloramphenicol(CPL).Our experimental results demonstrate that the nanomaterial Ag/AgCl was uniformly distributed on the PLA fiber surface;this can be attributed to the effects of the crosslinking PVPP or GA.Under electron beam irradiation,adding crosslinking PVPP(or GA)is beneficial to the loading of Ag/AgCl onto the PLA.For the composite Ag/AgCl/PLA,the degradation rate for MB was as high as 97% after 150 min of visible light irradiation.The addition of 4 mg/ml of Ag/AgCl solution resulted in the greatest photocatalytic activity for CPL,and we advanced the possible degradation pathways of CPL with the best sample.Additionally,the as-prepared composite Ag/Ag Cl/PLA exhibited favorable antibacterial activity against E.coli and S.aureus,with a bacterial removal rate of >77%.

Effect of Different Doses of Electron Beam Irradiation on the Structure of PAN Precursor Fibers and Resultant Stabilized Fibers

Different doses of electron beam was imposed on the polyacrylonitrile（PAN） precursor fibers before the fibers were stabilized. The effect of electron beam irradiation on the chemical structure, crystallite size of PAN precursor fibers and density, oxygen content, transverse section morphology of the stabilized fibers in the stabilization process were characterized by the use of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）, float- sink procedure, elemental analysis and scanning electron microscope（SEM）, respectively. The results showed that the extent of cyclization was increased and the crystallite size was decreased. We found that electron beam irradiation could accelerate the cyelization reaction and stabilization reaction in the stabilization process through density test and elemental analysis. We also found that the effect of 200 kGy electron beam irradiated fibers with the stabilization time of 75 min was better than that of the original stabilized fibers with 90 min. These results demonstrate that electron beam irradiation can shorten the stabilization time.

Charging dynamics of a polymer due to electron irradiation:A simultaneous scattering-transport model and preliminary results

We present a novel numerical model and simulate preliminarily the charging process of a polymer subjected to electron irradiation of several 10 keV. The model includes the simultaneous processes of electron scattering and ambipolar transport and the influence of a self-consistent electric field on the scattering distribution of electrons. The dynamic spatial distribution of charges is obtained and validated by existing experimental data. Our simulations show that excess negative charges are concentrated near the edge of the electron range. However, the formed region of high charge density may extend to the surface and bottom of a kapton sample, due to the effects of the electric field on electron scattering and charge transport, respectively. Charge trapping is then demonstrated to significantly influence the charge motion. The charge distribution can be extended to the bottom as the trap density decreases. Charge accumulation is therefore balanced by the appearance and increase of leakage current. Accordingly, our model and numerical simulation provide a comprehensive insight into the charging dynamics of a polymer irradiated by electrons in the complex space environment.

Characteristics of charge and discharge of PMMA samples due to electron irradiation

In this study, using a comprehensive numerical simulation of charge and discharge processes, we investigate the formation and evolution of negative charge and discharge characteristics of a grounded PMMA film irradiated by a non- focused electron beam. Electron scattering and transport processes in the sample are simulated with the Monte Carlo and the finite-different time-domain （FDTD） methods, respectively. The properties of charge and discharge processes are presented by the evolution of internal currents, charge quantity, surface potential, and discharge time. Internal charge accumulation in the sample may reach saturation by primary electron （PE） irradiation providing the charge duration is enough. Internal free electrons will run off to the ground in the form of leakage current due to charge diffusion and drift during the discharge process after irradiation, while trapped electrons remain. The negative surface potential determined by the charging quantity decreases to its saturation in the charge process, and then increases in the discharge process. A larger thickness of the PMMA film will result in greater charge amount and surface potential in charge saturation and in final discharge state, while the electron mobility of the material has little effects on the final discharge state. Moreover, discharge time is less for smaller thickness or larger electron mobility. The presented results can be helpful for estimating and weakening the charging of insulating samples especially under the intermittent electron beam irradiation in related surface analysis or measurement.

XPS and Raman studies of electron irradiated sodium silicate glass

The microstructure modifications of sodium silicate glass induced by 1.2-MeV electron irradiation are studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Depth profile analyses are also performed on the irradiated glass at 109 Gy. A sodium-depleted layer with a thickness of a few tens of nanometers and the corresponding increase of network polymerization on the top surface are observed after electron bombardment, while the polymerization in the subsurface region has a negligible variation with the irradiation dose. Moreover, the formation of molecular oxygen after electron irradiation is evidenced, which is mainly aggregated in the first two-micron-thick irradiated glass surface. These modifications are correlated to the network relaxation process as a consequence of the diffusion and desorption of sodium species during electron irradiation.

Electron irradiation effects on DC electrical performances of SiGe HBT in a comparison with Si BJT

The DC characteristics of SiGe HBT irradiated at different electron dose havebeen studied in a comparison with those of Si B JT. Generally, I_b and I_b - I_(b0) increase, I_c,I_c -I_(c0) and its +/- transition V_(be) as well as DC current gain ft decreases with increasingdose; increase of I_b -I_(b0) with increasing dose for Si BIT is much larger than that for SiGe HBT;beta increases with V_(be) or I_b, but decreases at I_b < 0.25 mA with I_b, and congregates athigher dose; and a damage factor d(beta) is much less at the same dose for SiGe HBT than for Si BJT.SiGe HBT has much better anti-radiation performance than Si BJT. Some anomalous phenomena forincrease of I_c, I_c -I_(c0), I_b -I_(b0) and beta at low dose have been found. Some electron trapshave been measured. The mechanism of changes of characteristics is discussed.

ELECTRON RADIATION INDUCED VOID SWELLING AND GRAIN BOUNDARY SEGREGATION IN AN Fe-Cr-Mn AUSTENITIC ALLOY

The behavior of void swelling and segregation in Fe-15Cr-xMn alloys and an alloy con- taining small amount of W and V was investigated by electron-irradiation.The compositional analysis in the irradiated regions including grain boundaries was performed.The resultdts show that there are many common features of irradiuation tehavior in the Fe-Cr-Mn and Fe-Cr-Ni systems while there are some significant differences,In the Fe-Cr-Mn alloy sys- tems void swelling was rematrkably suppressed and at the same time the radiation-induced segregation was also retarded,furthermore,the segregation was strongly retarded in an Fe-15Cr-15Mn alloy containing small amount of W and V.The results also show that Ni re- placed by Mn does not in general confer immunity from either swelling or phase instabilities. The phase instability is due to the different diffusion behavior of Ni and Mn in reponse to the operation of the inverse-Kirkendall effecr.Fe segregates to the microstructural sinks in the Fe-Cr-Mn alloys.The segregation of Fe often leads to the formation of ferrite.This fact is beneficial to reducing the swelling rate and segregation on the grain boundaries.

Room-Temperature Annealing of 1 MeV Electron Irradiated Lattice Matched In0.53Ga0.47As/InP Multiple Quantum Wells

Long-term room-temperature annealing effects of InGaAs/InP quantum wells with different wells （namely triple wells and five wells embedded） and bulk InCaAs are investigated after high energy electron irradiation. It is observed that the photoluminescence （PL） intensity of bulk InGaAs materials is enhanced after low dose electron irradiation and the PL intensity for all the three samples is degraded dramatically when the electron dose is relatively high. With respect to the room-temperature annealing, we find that the PL intensity for both samples recovers relatively fast at the initial stage. The PL performance of multiple quantum-well samples shows better recovery after irradiation compared with the results of bulk InGaAs materials. Meanwhile, the recovery speed factors of multiple quantum-well samples are relatively faster than those of the bulk InGaAs materials as well. We infer that the recovery difference between the quantum-well materials and bulk materials originates from the fact that the radiation induced defects are confined in the quantum wells as a consequence of the free energy barrier between the In0.53Ga0.47 As wells and InP barrier layers.

Infrared studies of oxygen-related complexes in electron-irradiated Cz-Si

This paper investigates the infrared absorption spectra of oxygen-related complexes in silicon crystals irradiated with electron （1.5 MeV） at 360 K.Two groups of samples with low [Oi] = 6.9 x 10^17 cm^-3 and high [Oi] = 1.06 x 10^18 cm^-3 were used.We found that the concentration of the VO pairs have different behaviour to the annealing temperature in different concentration of oxygen specimen,it is hardly changed in the higher concentration of oxygen specimen.It was also found that the concentration of VO2 in lower concentration of oxygen specimen gets to maximum at 450 ℃ and then dissapears at 500 ℃,accompanied with the appearing of VO3. For both kinds of specimens,the concentration of VO3 reachs to maximum at 550 ℃ and does not disappear completely at 600 ℃.

Electrical Performance of Electron Irradiated SiGe HBT and Si BJT

The change of electrical performances of 1 MeV electron irradiated silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) and Si bipolar junction transistor (BJT) was studied. After electron irradiation, both the collector current IC and the base current IB changed a little, and the current gain β decreased a little for SiGe HBT. The higher the electron irradiation fluence was, the lower the IC decreased. For conventional Si BJT, IC and IB increased as well as /? decreased much larger than SiGe HBT under the same fluence. The contribution of IB was more important to the degradation of β for both SiGe HBT and Si BJT. It was shown that SiGe HBT had a larger anti-radiation threshold and better anti-radiation performance than Si BJT. The mechanism of electrical performance changes induced by irradiation was preliminarily discussed.

Improved electrical properties of NO-nitrided SiC/SiO2 interface after electron irradiation

Effective improvement in electrical properties of NO passivated SiC/SiO2 interface after being irradiated by electrons is demonstrated.The density of interface traps after being irradiated by 100-kGy electrons decreases by about one order of magnitude,specifically,from 3×1012 cm-2·eV-1 to 4×1011 cm-2·eV-1 at 0.2 eV below the conduction band of 4H-SiC without any degradation of electric breakdown field.Particularly,the results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement show that the C-N bonds are generated near the interface after electron irradiation,indicating that the carbon-related defects are further reduced.

Electron irradiation-induced change of structure and damage mechanisms in multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Owing to their unique structure and excellent electrical property, carbon nanotubes （CNTs） as an ideal candidate for making future electronic components have great application potentiality. In order to meet the requirements for space appli- cation in electronic components, it is necessary to study structural changes and damage mechanisms of multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs）, caused by the irradiations of 70 and 110 keV electrons. In the paper, the changes of structure and damage mechanisms in the irradiated MWCNTs, induced by the irradiations of 70 and 110 keV electrons, are investigated. The changes in surface morphology and structure of the irradiated MWCNT film are characterized using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction analysis （XRD）, and electron paramagnetic resonance （EPR） spectroscopy. It is found that the MWCNTs show different behaviors in structural changes after 70 and 110 keV electron irradiation due to different damage mechanisms. SEM results reveal that the irra- diation of 70 keV electrons does not change surface morphology of the MWCNT film, while the irradiation of 110 keV electrons with a high fluence of 5 x 1015 cm-2 leads to evident morphological changes, such as the formation of a rough surface, the entanglement of nanotubes and the shrinkage of nanotubes. Based on Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and XRD analyses, it is confirmed that the irradiation of 70 keV electrons increases the interlayer spacing of the MWCNTs and disorders their structure through electronic excitations and ionization effects, while the irradiation of 110 keV electrons obviously reduces the interlayer spacing of the MWCNTs and improves their graphitic order through knock-on atom dis- placements. The improvement of the irradiated MWCNTs by 110 keV electrons is attributed to the restructuring of defect sites induced by knock-on atom displacements. EPR spectroscopic analyses reveal that the MWCNTs exposed to both 70 keV electrons and 110 keV electrons suffer ionization damage to some extent.

Effects of Strain Channel on Electron Irradiation Tolerance of InP-based HEMT Structures

The introduction of strain In_(x)Ga_(1-x)As channel with high In content increases the confinement of the two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG)and further improves the high-frequency performance of InGaAs/InAlAs/InP HEMTs.The effect of In_(x)Ga_(1-x)As channel with different In contents on electron irradiation tolerance of InP-based HEMT structures in terms of 2DEG mobility and density has been investigated.The experiment results show that,after the same high electron irradiation dose,the 2DEG mobility and density in InP-based HEMT structures with strain In_(x)Ga_(1-x)As(x>0.53)channel decrease more dramatically than that without strain In_(0.53)Ga_(0.47)As channel.Moreover,the degradation of 2DEG mobility and density becomes more severe as the increase of In content and strain in the In_(x)Ga_(1-x)As channel.The research results can provide some suggestions for the design of radiation-resistant InP-based HEMTs.

MEASUREMENT OF VACANCY MIGRATION ENERGY BY ELECTRON IRRADIATION

A method together with a new formula were developed for measuring the vacancy migration energy on HVEM considering the effect of surface sink of specimen on point defects.The va- cancy migration energy may be calculated through the loop growth rate under electron irradiation at various temperatures.

Ionic conductivity study on electron beam irradiated polyacrylonitrile-polyethylene oxide gel

Different mass percent polyacrylonitrile （PAN）-polyethylene oxide （PEO） gels were prepared and irradiated by an electron beam （EB） with energy of 1.0 MeV to the dose ranging from 13 kGy to 260 kGy. The gels were analysed by using Fourier transform infrared spectrum, gel fraction and ionic conductivity （IC） measurement. The results show that the gel is crosslinked by EB irradiation, the crosslinking degree rises with the increasing EB irradiation dose （ID） and the mass percents of both PAN and PEO contribute a lot to the crosslinking; in addition, EB irradiation can promote the IC of PAN-PEO gels. There exists an optimum irradiation dose, at which the IC can increase dramatically. The IC changes of the PAN-PEO gels along with ID are divided into three regions： IC rapidly increasing region, IC decreasing region and IC balanced region. The cause of the change can be ascribed to two aspects, gel capturing electron degree and crosslinking degree. By comparing the IC-ID curves of different mass percents of PAN and PEO in gel, we found that PAN plays a more important role for gel IC promotion than PEO, since addition of PAN in gel causes the IC-ID curve sharper, while addition of PEO in gel causes the curve milder.