Novel method for observing hillocks created for ceramic materials irradiated with swift heavy ions

Ishikawa, Norito   ; Okubo, Nariaki   ; Taguchi, Tomitsugu

In this study, CeO was irradiated with 200 MeV Au ions at oblique incidence. Observation of as-irradiated samples by transmission electron microscope (TEM) shows that hillocks are created not only at the wide surfaces, but also at the side faces of the thin samples. Since the hillocks created at the side faces can be imaged by TEM, their shape and crystallographic features can be revealed. From the images of hillocks created at the side faces, many of the hillocks are found to be spherical. We present an experimental evidence that hillocks created for CeO irradiated with swift heavy ions have a crystal structure whose lattice spacing and orientation coincide with those of the matrix. The present method1) of observing hillocks can be a complementary technique to AFM(Atomic Force Microscopy.