Cascade associated amorphous zones in ion bombarded NiAl3

Results of TEM observations and electrical resistivity measurements were used to investigate structural changes in thin films of NiAl3 deposited on a NaCl crystal, exposed to ion bombardment by 170 keV Ni(+) ions at fluences of 5 x 10 exp 12, 5 x 10 exp 13, 5 x 10 exp 14, and 5 x 10 exp 15 Ni(+) ions/sq cm. Cleaved samples were examined by TEM, and electrical resistivity was recorded as a function of fluence, using a four-point probe technique. The results present evidence for the occurrence of cascade-associated amorphization in NiAl3 during ion bombardment. The crystalline to amorphous transformation is nearly complete at about 4 x 10 exp 15 Ni(+) ions/sq cm fluency. 13 refs