Plastic Flow Induced by Single Ion Impacts on Gold

Abstract

AbstractIn situ transmission electron microscopy has been used to follow room temperature irradiation of thinned bulk and 62 nm thick gold films with Xe ions in the energy range 50 to 400 keV. Energy spikes resulting from single ion impacts give rise to surface craters and holes which exist until annihilation by subsequent ion impacts. Video recording provided details with a time-resolution of 33 milliseconds. Craters were produced on the irradiated surface at all ion energies and on the opposite surface when the ions had sufficient energy to traverse the specimen. Crater sizes were as large as 12 nm for the higher energy irradiations. On average, approximately 6% of impinging ions result in craters.A single 200 keV Xe ion may produce a hole in thin gold foils. Hole formation involves the movement by plastic flow of massive amounts of material; on the order of tens of thousand Au atoms per ion impact. Individual ion impacts also result in a filling of both holes and craters as well as a thickening of the gold foil. Change in morphology during irradiation is attributed to a localized, thermal-spike induced melting, coupled with plastic flow under the influence of surface forces.