SPIRIT

Title:

Contribution to the study of synergistic effects occurring during multi-ion beam irradiation experiments 

Scientific frame of the study:

Ion beam implantation/irradiation is nowadays considered as an efficient and useful tool to simulate experimentally the effects of neutron irradiation in metallic alloys and ceramics [1]. Neutron irradiation induces displacement cascades and generates the production of impurity atoms, mainly He and H, due to nuclear reactions (n, a) and (n, p). The evolution of the microstructure of the irradiated material depends on the interactions between these different physico-chemical processes.

Literature contains a lot of works showing that several synergistic effects may occur such as damage accumulation/gas atom production [2] or ballistic energy loss/electronic energy loss [3].

Aim of the work:

The aim of this work is to contribute to the fine description of synergistic effects by performing well parameterised co-irradiation experiments on a large range of mineral compounds. 

Scientific approach:

This work is based on the use of the implantation/irradiation capabilities of the JANNUS platform both at Saclay and Orsay, producing damage essentially in the ballistic energy loss regime. The multi-irradiation platform JANNUS  is composed of three coupled electrostatic accelerators at saclay and by two accelerators coupled with a transmission electron microscope at Orsay [4]. High energy heavy ion beams from the GANIL will be also used to study the specific effects of the electronic energy loss regime. Co-irradiation experiments at JANNUS and sequential irradiation experiments implying first the use of JANNUS and secondly those of GANIL will be carried out.

The investigated materials will include ultra high purity metal (Zr), a Zr model alloy, a binary oxide (for example ZrO₂), a ternary oxide (for example Gd₂Zr₂O₇), a carbide (for example ZrC) and a nitride (for example ZrN). The main experimental parameters of concern will be the mass and the energy of the incident ions, the electronic over nuclear energy loss ratio, the dose rate, the total damage dose and the temperature. 

Tutors:

L. Beck, Y. Serruys, S.Miro and P. Trocellier, JANNUS Laboratory, CEA Saclay, France. 

Collaboration:

A collaboration will be developed with the group of L. Thomé from CSNSM Orsay and with S. Bouffard from CIMAP Caen in the frame of GNR PAMIR 

References:

[1] G.S. Was et al., J. Nucl. Mater. 300(2002)198.

[2] V. Lévy et al., ASTM STP 870(1985)317.

[3] A. Benyagoub et al., J. Appl. Phys. 106(2009)083516.

[4] P. Trocellier et al., Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings of the 2010 Fall Meeting, Boston, Paper R7.1. 

Contact: lucile.beck@cea.fr, patrick.trocellier@cea.fr.