About determination of the threshold ionization energy losses for the latent tracks formation in crystalline Si 3 N 4

Abstract

This work is devoted to determine the threshold value of ionization energy loss Set for formation of latent tracks in polycrystalline silicon nitride based on the analysis of radiation-stimulated amorphization of material. Si 3 N 4 (Al)
specimens were irradiated with 167 MeV and 220 MeV Xe ions with high fluencies (6 × 10 14 and 2 × 10 14 cm −2, respectively). According to cross-section TEM analysis of sample structures the lower boundary of Set has been found at level ˜6.7 keV/nm.