Estimation of Residual Radioactivity and Radiation Damage in SiC After Neutron Irradiation

Abstract

In the process of neutron transmutation doping (NTD), Si, C, and impurities in the SiC become radioactive nuclides by neutron capture reaction (n, $\gamma $ ) and several threshold reactions. The radiations emitted from the residual radionuclides constantly damage the SiC until they completely decay. The radiation damage can create many defects in the SiC, and the defects can reduce the electron mobility and distort the band structure. This radiation damage to the SiC should be evaluated in terms of quality management. In order to quantify the sources of radiation damage, time variations of the residual radionuclides’ radioactivity in 5-in cylindrical SiC ingot after neutron irradiation were calculated using the DCHAIN program linked to the particle and heavy ion transport code system (PHITS). In the calculation, it was assumed that the SiC ingot was irradiated in the NTD1 irradiation hole of the High-Flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor (HANARO) at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). The energy spectrum of neutrons in the HANARO NTD1 irradiation hole calculated by using the Monte Carlo N-particle code version 6.1 (MCNP6.1) code was considered as a neutron source for the calculation. Based on the radioactivity data, the total flux and energy spectra of the electrons and gamma-rays in the SiC were calculated to analyze the properties of the radiation sources. Most of the radiations were emitted from the beta decay of 31Si, but they decayed early, and radionuclides with a relatively long half-life, such as 59Fe and 32P, became the major radiation sources. Finally, the radiation damage was calculated in the displacement per atom (DPA) unit. The time variations of the DPA rate and cumulative DPA in the SiC are presented.