Damage production in plastically deformed copper by electron irradiation above stage I

Copper wires of high purity were deformed carefully at liquid nitrogen temperature to elongations between 3 and 12 percent. The dislocation density as derived from shear stress amounted to 0.3 x 1010 to 3.4 x 1010 cm-2. In samples made of these wires the radiation induced resistivity increase has been studied as function of dose during 3 MeV electron irradiation at 70 and 1300K. With increasing dislocation density the retention of Frenkel defects is observed to increase. By applying the diffusion theory the data are analyzed with respect to the interaction of interstitials with dislocations and point defect clusters produced during plastic deformation. The interaction of interstitials with small point defect clusters seems to overwhelm that with dislocations