Abstract:
In this study thin Zr films (135 nm) were deposited on 6H-SiC substrate at room temperature by sputter
deposition. The Zr/SiC couples were irradiated by 167 MeV Xe26+ ions at room temperature at fluences of
5.0 1012, 1.0 1013, 5.0 1013, 2.0 1014, 3.1 1014 and 6.3 1014 ions/cm2. The samples were analysed
before and after irradiation using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), atomic force
microscopy (AFM) and secondary electron microscopy (SEM). The surface morphology from SEM analysis
revealed a homogeneous Zr surface which did not vary with increasing fluences of irradiation. AFM analysis
revealed that the Rrms surface roughness did increase from the as-deposited value of 1.6 nm and then
decrease at higher SHI irradiation fluences to 1.4 nm. RBS results indicate that interface mixing between
Zr and SiC interface occurred and varied linearly with irradiation ion fluence. The value obtained for diffusivity
of Zr shows that the mixing was due to interdiffusion across the interface during a transient melt
phase according to the thermal spike model.
