Abstract There are many important effects of fast charged particle irradiation on solid state rate processes in solids: (1) sputtering; (2) enhanced diffusion; (3) break-up of clusters of precipitated atoms; (4) electric field formation promoted by electronic excitation. In most irradiation studies of solids, different combinations of these effects, depending on the target electronic density, occur together. In this paper we present a survey on transport phenomena occurring in solids during irradiation, stressing possible common features as well as peculiarities arising solely from the nature of the irradiated solid: metal, semiconductor or insulator. In particular, we comment on the different role of electronic excitations in dielectric solids as opposed to metallic ones. Basic phenomena occurring during fast charged particle irradiation of solids are described in the framework of transport models. Particular emphasis is placed upon recent theoretical and experimental developments concerning correlation processes during atomic migration in implanted solids.