Replacement collision sequences in metals

The concept of radiation-induced defects traveling large distances by focussed collision sequences (focusons) without thermal activation has important consequences in radiation effect studies. The focussed collision sequences are of two types: (1) ''Silsbee focussing'' or momentum focussing which can cause defect pairs to form large distances from the primary knock-on and (2) focussed replacement collisions also called ''dynamic crowdions'' where mass transport causes a large separation between the vacancy and its interstitial. Direct experimental evidence for focussed collision sequences is in short supply and conflicting. The sputtering patterns associated with close packed crystalline directions from the backscattering of charged particles seemed to substantiate long-range focussed collisions until it was pointed out that collision chains need not be long to yield such patterns. More recently, transmission sputtering has been used with conflicting results. Ecker et al. found no evidence for focusons greater than 17 atom distances whereas preliminary results of Siedman et al. suggest several hundred atom distances. Keil and co-workers found evidence for replacement collision sequences of 100 atom distances by stereo electron microscopy of interstitial agglomerates interjected by low energy heavy ion bombardment. Experiments by Kirk et al. and Becker and co-workers on ordered alloys, are only sensitive to dynamic crowdions. Kirk and co-workers result on the changes in magnetic properties of Ni3Mn induced by thermal neutron bombardment strongly support long range focusons (greater than 30 atom distances) whereas Wollenberger found no evidence for focusons with 1 and 3 MeV electron irradiation. Theoretical treatments of Liebfried suggest a maximum length of 30 atom distances whereas Holmes' modified treatment suggests less than 10 atom distances. (10 fig, 23 references)