Electron microprobe analysis of HgTe thin films : A. Szummer and S. A. Ignatowicz. Electron. Technol.4, No. 1/2 (1971), p. 227

Abstract

The UKAEA Northern Research Laboratories (Risley) have recently completed an underlying research study on irradiation growth in zirconium and its alloys. During this study, irradiation growth measurements have been made on a range of well-characterized single-crystal and polycrystalline iodide zirconium, commercial alloys Zircaloy-2 and Zr-2.5 wt% Nb, and high-purity zirconium-tin alloys in different metallurgical conditions following irradiation in the DIDO reactor at AERE Harwell. Irradiations were performed in three rigs operating at irradiation temperatures between 353 and 673 K. An important feature of the experimental programme was the capability to perform repeat length measurements on individual growth specimens at intervals during their irradiation programme. This facility has allowed accurate monitoring of the growth phenomenon and changes in growth behaviour induced by the combined effects of irradiation temperature and accumulated fast neutron dose over large dose ranges.This paper reviews the main experimental results from this programme and discusses them in terms of current understanding of the growth process.Thus, it has been observed that, in annealed Zircaloy-2 at temperatures between 553 and 673 K, a transition from saturating growth to accelerating growth rates occurs with increasing dose. The dose above which this “growth breakaway” takes place is seen to be inversely dependent on irradiation temperature in mis temperature range. The well-documented difference in growth behaviour between annealed and cold-worked Zircaloy-2 observed at relatively low irradiation temperatures, in which cold-worked material grows at a high linear rate over large dose ranges, is not observed at 673 K. Comparison is made with reported results on similar material irradiated in other irradiation facilities. The growth data are interpreted in terms of recent theories regarding the development during fast neutron irradiation of a cold-worked microstructure consisting of 〈a〉- and 〈c〉-type dislocations.Irradiation growth behaviour of annealed polycrystalline iodide zirconium between 353 and 673 K contrasts strongly with that in annealed Zircaloy-2 with low irradiation growth rates being observed over a large dose and temperature range.The influence of key irradiation parameters on the growth process have been examined in a series of studies initiated as part of a collaborative programme with AECL Chalk River Nuclear Labs. Final results from the studies on annealed and deformed single-crystal zirconium are reported here. They show that growth saturates rapidly at low dose in annealed single-crystal material irradiated at 353 and 553 K but that a gradual increase in growth strain is observed on irradiation to high dose at 553 K. Single-crystal specimens heavily swaged prior to irradiation at 353 K and given different pre-irradiation heat-treatments exhibit high near-linear or accelerating growth rates. These growth data are interpreted in terms of the importance of grain boundaries and twin boundaries as sinks for point defects which allow point defect separation and hence growth to continue to high dose.Finally, the results of growth experiments performed on Zr-0.1% Sn and Zr-1.5% Sn alloys at 353 and 553 K are reviewed. These experiments confirm the important role played by alloying additions and impurities on the growth process in zirconium and Zircaloy-2.