Temperature dependence of ion-beam induced amorphization in α-quartz

The temperature dependence of the amorphization in α-quartz by Ne-ion bombardment has been investigated using Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry in channeling geometry (RBS-C). The experimental results show that the critical temperature Tc for inhibiting amorphization in quartz is around 940 K. The damage depth profile χ(z,phi) is independent of the temperature and fluence and can be simulated with a power-law function [χ(z,phi)∝(phiFD(z))3] of the damage energy distribution FD(z). At low irradiation temperature, the critical dose phic for amorphization is independent of the temperature but it strongly increases at higher temperatures with an activation energy of 0.28 eV and has been explained by out-diffusion model of Morehead and Crowder