Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhang, Jialiang, Huang, Futao, Li, Shuo, Yu, Guojun, Xu, Zifeng, Hei, Lifu, Lv, Fanxiu, Horne, Aidan, Wang, Peng, Qi, Ming
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.09420
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866917953890418688
author Zhang, Jialiang
Huang, Futao
Li, Shuo
Yu, Guojun
Xu, Zifeng
Hei, Lifu
Lv, Fanxiu
Horne, Aidan
Wang, Peng
Qi, Ming
author_facet Zhang, Jialiang
Huang, Futao
Li, Shuo
Yu, Guojun
Xu, Zifeng
Hei, Lifu
Lv, Fanxiu
Horne, Aidan
Wang, Peng
Qi, Ming
contents Diamond's exceptional properties make it highly suited for applications in challenging radiation environments. Understanding radiation-induced damage in diamond is crucial for enabling its practical applications and advancing materials science. However, direct imaging of radiation-induced crystal defects at the atomic scale remains rare due to diamond's compact lattice structure. Here, we report the atomic-level characterization of crystal defects induced by high-flux fast neutron radiation (up to $3 \times10^{17}$ n/$cm^2$) in single-crystal chemical vapor deposition diamonds. Through Raman spectroscopy, the phase transition from carbon $sp^3$ to $sp^2$ hybridization was identified, primarily associated with the formation of dumbbell-shaped interstitial defects. Using electron energy loss spectroscopy and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, we observed a clustering trend in defect distribution, where $sp^2$ rich clusters manifested as dislocation structures with a density up to $10^{14}$ $cm^{-2}$. Lomer-Cottrell junctions were identified, offering a possible explanation for defect cluster formation. Radiation-induced point defects were found to be dispersed throughout the diamond lattice, highlighting the widespread nature of primary defect formation. Vacancy defects, along with $\langle 111 \rangle$ and $\langle 100 \rangle$ oriented dumbbell-shaped interstitial defects induced by high-dose neutron irradiation, were directly imaged, providing microscopic structural evidence that complements spectroscopic studies of point defects. Dynamical simulations combined with an adiabatic recombination-based damage model provided insights into the correlation between irradiation dose and resulting crystal damage. These findings advance our understanding of neutron-induced damage mechanisms in diamond and contribute to the development of radiation-resistant diamond materials.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_09420
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Imaging neutron radiation-induced defects in single-crystal chemical vapor deposition diamond at the atomic level
Zhang, Jialiang
Huang, Futao
Li, Shuo
Yu, Guojun
Xu, Zifeng
Hei, Lifu
Lv, Fanxiu
Horne, Aidan
Wang, Peng
Qi, Ming
Materials Science
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Instrumentation and Detectors
Diamond's exceptional properties make it highly suited for applications in challenging radiation environments. Understanding radiation-induced damage in diamond is crucial for enabling its practical applications and advancing materials science. However, direct imaging of radiation-induced crystal defects at the atomic scale remains rare due to diamond's compact lattice structure. Here, we report the atomic-level characterization of crystal defects induced by high-flux fast neutron radiation (up to $3 \times10^{17}$ n/$cm^2$) in single-crystal chemical vapor deposition diamonds. Through Raman spectroscopy, the phase transition from carbon $sp^3$ to $sp^2$ hybridization was identified, primarily associated with the formation of dumbbell-shaped interstitial defects. Using electron energy loss spectroscopy and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, we observed a clustering trend in defect distribution, where $sp^2$ rich clusters manifested as dislocation structures with a density up to $10^{14}$ $cm^{-2}$. Lomer-Cottrell junctions were identified, offering a possible explanation for defect cluster formation. Radiation-induced point defects were found to be dispersed throughout the diamond lattice, highlighting the widespread nature of primary defect formation. Vacancy defects, along with $\langle 111 \rangle$ and $\langle 100 \rangle$ oriented dumbbell-shaped interstitial defects induced by high-dose neutron irradiation, were directly imaged, providing microscopic structural evidence that complements spectroscopic studies of point defects. Dynamical simulations combined with an adiabatic recombination-based damage model provided insights into the correlation between irradiation dose and resulting crystal damage. These findings advance our understanding of neutron-induced damage mechanisms in diamond and contribute to the development of radiation-resistant diamond materials.
title Imaging neutron radiation-induced defects in single-crystal chemical vapor deposition diamond at the atomic level
topic Materials Science
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Instrumentation and Detectors
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.09420