Field ion microscopy investigation of the disorder-to-order transformation in FePd₂Au after bombardment by Ar⁺ ions

Abstract

Field ion microscopy techniques have been used to investigate the atomic structure of quenched FePd₂Au alloy before and after bombardment by Ar⁺ ions (ion energy E = 20 keV; fluence D = 2 × 10¹⁷ ions cm⁻²). It has been confirmed that ion bombardment induces a “disorder → order” phase transformation in a subsurface layer more than 25 μm deep. The study of the atomic structure of the irradiated alloy has shown that under ion bombardment there emerges a three-dimensional grid of antiphase domains measuring on average 6–8 nm.