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RESEARCH PRODUCT

<title>Formation of dislocations and hardening of LiF crystals irradiated with energetic Au, Bi, Pb, and S ions</title>

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The irradiation of LiF crystals with Au, Pb, Bi, and S ions in the range of 400 - 2200 MeV leads to a remarkable increase of the hardness. The effect appears for Bi and Pb ions at fluences above 109 ions/cm2 and for S ions above 1010 ions/cm2. The increase of hardness follows the energy loss and is related to the formation of defects along the ion path. Defect complexes, clusters and aggregates with nanoscale dimensions serve as strong obstacles for dislocations and cause dispersion strengthening. Structural investigations reveal the generation of long-range stress in the adjacent non-irradiated part of the crystal. Close to the implantation zone, the stress exceeds the yield strength, causing microplastic deformation and work hardening. Compared to light S ions, heavy ions (Au, Pb, Bi) cause more severe structural damage, larger hardening effects, and higher internal and long-range stress.© (2003) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.