HVEM Radiation Damage Studies: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

First let it be said that this article is not intended to be a comprehensive review of HVEM radiation damage studies. The reader will do much better to peruse the writings of Urban, Kiritani, Cosslett and others, or to scan the various HVEM symposium reports. Nor is this article intended to justify the use of HVEM to develop suitable materials for fast-breeder reactors, fusion reactors, ion implantation devices, nuclear waste disposal or any other technological problem where radiation damage is important. Rather, this article seeks to assess the role that HVEM has, can, and will display in understanding the fundamental aspects of radiation damage processes. The point to be made is that HVEM provides an excellent scientific method of investigating the primary displacement process, and, especially, secondary defect formation. However, although the electron damage process is much simpler than neutron or ion damage, HVEM damage observations still must be evaluated with extreme caution.