The unambiguous identification of vacancy migration stage in resistivity recovery of irradiated metals based on trapping of vacancies at probe impurity atoms

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Radiation damage
• vacancies
• metals
• resistivity recovery
• radiation-induced defects
• 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.

Additional information

Funding

The study was performed within the state assignment of Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations (FASO) of Russia (theme ‘Spin’ No. 01201463330).