Abstract
Blistering processes on crystalline silicon surfaces were observed in situ by grazing incidence electron microscopy (GIEM) under deuterium (D +) and helium (He +) ion irradiation. In D + irradiation, the size and density of the blisters were significantly reduced in the continuously electron-illuminated area. This is attributed to the incident high-energy electrons, which suppress the formation of deuterium terminated cracks by electronic excitation effect. It was also found that irradiation at a higher ion flux give rise to catastrophic flaking before well-separated blisters were formed. In addition, the present study strongly suggests that the crack formation and propagation under D-irradiation start preferentially around the most heavily damaged depth rather than the peak projected range of the implanted D atoms.
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