ABSTRACT
The method of resistivity recovery is a powerful tool for studying point defects in irradiated metals. However, the method is nonspecific with respect to a type (vacancy or interstitial) of investigated defects. To overcome this shortcoming, we made use of opposite signs of excess electric charges of the vacancies and self-interstitial atoms in a lattice. Resistivity loss takes place on trapping of vacancies at impurity atoms if excess charges of the impurity atom and defect are opposite in sign. A way of selecting the impurity atoms with the excess charge opposite in sign to that of vacancies is proposed. The specific evolution of resistivity recovery spectrum induced by vacancy trapping at the selected impurity atoms (probe traps) allows one to unambiguously identify the stage of free long-range vacancy migration.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. Usually, the terms ‘stage III’ and ‘stage of free long-range vacancy migration’ are considered as synonyms. In the context of the present paper, we consider them as independent ones.