L. Liszkay

Microstructural aspects of neutron embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel steels - A view from positron annihilation spectroscopy

Abstract A comprehensive review of positron annihilation studies of CrMoV reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels (Soviet type 15Kh2MFA) in unirradiated and neutron irradiated states is presented. The influences of lattice defects, impurity atom distribution, irradiation temperature, flux and fluence of fast neutrons on positron annihilation parameters, especially during isochronal annealing, are discussed in terms of the positron trapping model. In contrast to the literature, where irradiation-enhanced Cu precipitates and solute coated microvoids are thought to be major defect types responsible for strengthening and hence embrittling of RPV steels, we suggest irradiation-induced precipitates, i.e. probably carbides, to play this role. Possibilities to probe this model are suggested.

Measurement of the orthopositronium confinement energy in mesoporous thin films

In this paper, we present measurements of the ortho-positronium (ortho-Ps) emission energy in vacuum from mesoporous films using the time-of-flight technique. We show evidence of quantum mechanical confinement in the mesopores that defines the minimal energy of the emitted Ps. Two samples with different effective pore sizes, measured with positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, are compared for the data collected in the temperature range 50-400 K. The sample with smaller pore size exhibits a higher minimal energy (73{+-}5 meV), compared to the sample with bigger pores (48{+-}5 meV), due to the stronger confinement. The dependence of the emission energy with the temperature of the target is modeled as ortho-Ps being confined in rectangular boxes in thermodynamic equilibrium with the sample. We also measured that the yield of positronium emitted in vacuum is not affected by the temperature of the target.

Influence of layer thickness on the formation of In vacancies in InN grown by molecular beam epitaxy

We have used a low-energy positron beam to identify In vacancies in InN layers grown on Al2O3 by molecular beam epitaxy. Their concentration decreases from ∼5×1018 to below 1016 cm−3 with increasing layer thickness (120–800 nm). The decrease in the vacancy concentration coincides with the increase in the electron Hall mobility, suggesting that In vacancies act as electron scattering centers.

Positronium reemission yield from mesostructured silica films

The reemission yield of ortho-positronium (o-Ps) into vacuum outside mesoporous silica films on glass is measured in reflection mode with a specially designed lifetime (LT) spectrometer. Values as high as 40% are found. The intensity of the 142 ns vacuum LT is recorded as a function of reemission depth. The LT depth profiling is correlated to the 2gamma and 3gamma energy ones to determine the annihilation characteristics inside the films. Positron lifetime in capped films is used to determine the pore size. For the first time, a set of consistent fingerprints for Ps annihilation, o-Ps reemission into vacuum, and pore size, is directly determined in CTACl-TEOS films.

Muonium emission into vacuum from mesoporous thin films at cryogenic temperatures

We report on muonium (Mu) emission into vacuum following μ(+) implantation in mesoporous thin SiO(2) films. We obtain a yield of Mu into vacuum of (38±4)% at 250 K and (20±4)% at 100 K for 5 keV μ(+) implantation energy. From the implantation energy dependence of the Mu vacuum yield we determine the Mu diffusion constants in these films: D(Mu)(250 K)=(1.6±0.1)×10(-4)  cm(2)/s and D(Mu)(100 K)=(4.2±0.5)×10(-5) cm(2)/s. Describing the diffusion process as quantum mechanical tunneling from pore to pore, we reproduce the measured temperature dependence ∼T(3/2) of the diffusion constant. We extract a potential barrier of (-0.3±0.1) eV which is consistent with our computed Mu work function in SiO(2) of [-0.3,-0.9] eV. The high Mu vacuum yield, even at low temperatures, represents an important step toward next generation Mu spectroscopy experiments.

Point defects in III-V materials grown by molecular beam epitaxy at low temperature

Abstract The present understanding of the point defects in GaAs and InP grown by molecular beam epitaxy at low temperature (LT) is briefly reviewed. New results on vacancies and ion-type acceptors obtained by positron annihilation are given. Depending on the growth temperature, Ga vacancies or small vacancy clusters are seen in LT GaAs in the concentration range 10 18 cm −3 . No signal from Ga antisites is found. The LT InP layers contain vacancies, identified as In vacancies, in the concentration range 10 18 cm −3 . Ion-type acceptors, probably In antisites, are also seen in concentrations of 10 17 cm −3 . The annealed layer contains small vacancy clusters.

Positron annihilation in latex-templated macroporous silica films: pore size and ortho-positronium escape

Depth profling of positron annihilation characteristics has been used to investigate the pore size distribution in macroporous PMMA latex templated SiO2 films deposited on glass or Si and prepared with 11-70% porosity. The correlation between the annihilation characteristics shows that o-Ps escape (re-emission) into vacuum occurs in all films with a porosity threshold that is pore size dependent. For 60 ± 2% porosity, the o-Ps reemission yield decreases from ~ 0:25 to ~ 0:11 as the pore size increases from 32 to 75 nm. The o-Ps reemission yield is shown to vary linearly with the specific surface area per mass unit and the slope is independent of pore size, 9:1±0:4 g cm-1. For 32 nm pores, the o-Ps annihilation lifetimes in the films, 17(2)ns and 106(5) ns, show that o-Ps annihilates from micropores with small effective size (1:4 ± 4 nm) and from macropores with large effective size (~ 32 nm). Above the porosity threshold, the o-Ps-escape model predicts the annihilation lifetime in the films to be 19±2 ns. Our results imply that o-Ps effciently detects the microporosity present in the silica walls. At low porosity, its capture into the micropores competes with its capture into the macropores. At higher porosity (when the distance between micropores and macropores become small), this capture into the micropores assists the capture into the macropores.

Mesoporous silica films with varying porous volume fraction: Direct correlation between ortho-positronium annihilation decay and escape yield into vacuum

The behavior of ortho-positronium (o-Ps) in mesoporous silica films implanted with low–energy positrons has been studied as a function of the film porous volume fraction. A lifetime spectrometer allowed determination of o-Ps annihilation decay both inside and outside of the film. A kinetic model is introduced that permits the determination of the yield and rate of escape of o-Ps into vacuum as well as the annihilation decay rate of the trapped o-Ps in the film. It is shown that these undergo a sudden change at a threshold porous volume fraction, above which the o-Ps escape rate to vacuum varies linearly with volume fraction.

Magnetic quenching effecs on long-lived postronium states in zeosil

Positron annihilatioin data collected for zeosil (a zeoilite-type solid allowing abundant Psformation) are discussed, with particular attention payed to the longest-lived positronium states as observed in lifetime spectroscopy experiments. To unravel the nature of these components, additional information was sought by applying an extermal magnetic field and by reecording the total energy distributioin of the annihilation radiation. From both the lifetime and the extended Doppler spectra, it is shown that positronium presents a very long-lived component with a relative intensity of ca. 30% and a lifetime close to the intrinsic tripler lifetime (140ns), therefore undergoing almost no pick-off annihilation. From the magnetic field experiments, the contact density parameter has a value of essentially 1, which is characteristic of an unpoerturbed triplet Ps state in vacuo. This positronium state therefore does not appear to interact with the medium.

Positron lifetimes at vacancies in electron-irradiated indium phosphide

Abstract We report positron lifetime results on electron-irradiated (2.0 MeV at 20 K) Zn-, Fe- and S-doped indium phosphide. In all samples, the average positron lifetime at 300 K increases after irradiation and annealing at 300 K. In electron-irradiated InP(S) (n = 3.9 × 10 18 cm −3 ) , a defect identified as the indium vacancy recovers between 150 and 200 K. After annealing at 300 K, another defect lifetime is detected, interpreted as the upper limit for the positron lifetime at the phosphorus vacancy. The phosphorus vacancies remain intact up to annealing temperatures of 300 K.