Ultrafast laser and swift heavy ion irradiation: Response of Gd2O3 and ZrO2 to intense electronic excitation

Abstract

In order to investigate the response of materials to extreme conditions, there are several approaches to depositing extremely high concentrations of energy into very small volumes of material, including ultrafast laser and swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation. In this study, crystalline-to-crystalline phase transformations in cubic Gd2O3 and monoclinic ZrO2 have been investigated using ultrafast laser irradiation. The phases produced by the extreme conditions of irradiation were characterized by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Gd2O3 exhibited a cubic-to-monoclinic phase transformation, as evidenced by the appearance of the monoclinic (402¯), (003), (310), and (112¯) peaks in the GIXRD pattern and of four Ag and three Bg Raman modes. ZrO2 underwent a monoclinic-to-tetragonal phase transformation, as evidenced by the emergence of the tetragonal (101) peak in the GIXRD pattern and of Eg and A1g Raman modes. The new phases formed by ultrafast laser irradiation are high temperature polymorphs of the two materials. No evidence of amorphization was seen in the GIXRD data, though Raman spectroscopy indicated point defect accumulation. These results are identical to those produced by irradiation with SHIs, which also deposit energy in materials primarily through electronic excitation. The similarity in damage process and material response between ultrafast laser and SHI irradiation suggests a fundamental relationship between these two techniques.