Thermal behaviour of helium-implanted spinel single crystals

The study of the microstructural modifications induced in spinel implanted with 4He+ at 4.7 at.% and subsequently annealed at 1075 K is addressed in this paper. The combination of three analysis techniques Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in channeling geometry (RBS/C), X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy was used in order to gain information about the damage depth distribution, the nature of radiation defects, and the occurrence of microstructural modifications. In as-implanted crystals the disorder level is weak, and the damage principally consists of small helium-vacancy clusters. These defects induce a tensile strain in the direction normal to the implanted crystal surface. After annealing, a surprising increase of the disorder level is measured by RBS/C. This increased backscattering yield is due to the formation of a particular type of He-vacancy clusters, namely He platelets, which also induce a relaxation of the strain.