Effect of medium energy He+, Ne+ and Ar+ ion irradiation on the Hf-In-C thin film composites

Abstract

Thin films of Hf-In-C ternary compounds were synthesized by a 2-step method consisting of a low-energy ion beam sputtering and thermal annealing. The radiation tolerance of the composites and the effects of irradiation by medium energy light and heavy ions (100 keV He+, 100 keV Ne+, and 200 keV Ar+) with an extreme fluence (1017 ions/cm2) were analyzed by several methods: composition and profiling of elements by Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy and Nuclear Resonance Analysis, microstructure and surface morphology by High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy, and mechanical properties (elastic modulus and hardness) by nanoindentation.The study showed that the as-prepared Hf-In-C thin films form a mixture of different binary and ternary phases, including nanostructured Hf2InC, and oxides of metallic building elements. The irradiation with light ions (He+) had only a mild effect on the structure, composition, and mechanical properties of the composites. However, irradiation with heavy ions (Ne+, Ar+) led to a significant change in all monitored parameters and an overall collapse of the sample structure (especially for the Ar+ ions). It turned out that although thin Hf-In-C composites show to be highly tolerant to light ions, they have very limited resistivity to medium energy heavy ions.