Defect Structure and Evolution in Silicon Carbide Irradiated to 1 dpa-SiC at 1100 C

Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), swelling measurements, isochronal annealing, and thermal diffusivity testing were used to characterize the effects of radiation damage in SiC. Together, these techniques provided a comprehensive set of tools for observing and characterizing the structure and evolution of radiation-induced defects in SiC as a function of irradiation temperature and dose. In this study, two types of dense, crystalline, monolithic SiC were subjected to irradiation doses up to 1 dpa-SiC at a temperature of 1100 C, as well as post-irradiation annealing up to 1500 C. The microscopic defect structures observed by TEM were correlated to changes in the macroscopic dimensions, thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity. The results demonstrated the value of using ultrapure {beta}SiC as an effective reference material to characterize the nature of expected radiation damage in other, more complex, SiC-based materials such as SiC/SiC composites.