Cracks formation and optical properties in 175 MeV Au13+ beam irradiated CeO2 thin films

In the present work, we report the swift heavy ion (SHI) beam irradiation induced cracks formation in CeO2 thin films. The thin films were deposited on quartz substrates using rf-sputtering technique. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence measurements were performed to study the ion irradiation induced modifications in morphology, crystal structure and optical properties of the films. The irradiated films show formation of nanocrystalline granules on the film surface. The mud like cracks evolute at the irradiation fluence of 5x1012 ion/cm2. In the present study, the formation of cracks and the modifications in the structural and optical properties of CeO2 thin films have been discussed in the light of ion's energy and its energy loss processes. (author)