Gerardo García Bermúdez

Nanoporous SiO2/Si thin layers produced by ion track etching: Dependence on the ion energy and criterion for etchability

Vitreous SiO2 thin films thermally grown onto Si wafers were bombarded by Au ions with energies from 0.005 to 11.1 MeV/u and by ions at constant velocity (0.1 MeV/u A197u, T130e, A75s, S32, and F19). Subsequent chemical etching produced conical holes in the films with apertures from a few tens to ∼150 nm. The diameter and the cone angle of the holes were determined as a function of energy loss of the ions. Preferential track etching requires a critical electronic stopping power Seth∼2 keV/nm, independent of the value of the nuclear stopping. However, homogeneous etching, characterized by small cone opening angles and narrow distributions of pore sizes and associated with a continuous trail of critical damage, is only reached for Se>4 keV/nm. The evolution of the etched-track dimensions as a function of specific energy (or electronic stopping force) can be described by the inelastic thermal spike model, assuming that the etchable track results from the quenching of a zone which contains sufficient energy f...

Analysis of 33 MeV Nitrogen irradiated UHMWPE

In this work, we irradiated UHMWPE with 33 MeV Nitrogen ions, at several fluences, to generate surface modifications without affecting the bulk properties. These modifications were quantified by means of wear resistance tests and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements. Experimental results show an optimum ion fluence value that maximizes UHMWPE wear resistance.

Infrared spectroscopy study of irradiated PVDF

The effects induced by 1 MeV/amu ion irradiations were compared to those induced by 4–12 MeV/amu irradiations. Structural analysis with infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was carried out on PVDF irradiated using C and He beams with different fluences. From these spectra it was observed, as a function of fluence, an overall destruction of the polymer, amorphization of the crystalline regions and the creation of in‐chain unsaturations. The track dimensions were determined using a previously developed Monte Carlo simulation code and these results were compared to a semiempirical model [1].