Monte-Carlo simulation study of the self-organization of nanometric amorphous precipitates in regular arrays during ion irradiation

High-dose ion implantation of materials that undergo drastic density change upon amorphization at certain implantation conditions results in periodically arranged, self-organized, nanometric configurations of the amorphous phase. A simple model explaining the phenomenon is introduced and implemented in a Monte-Carlo simulation code. Through simulation conditions for observing lamellar precipitates are specified and additional information about the compositional and structural state during the ordering process is gained