F. Garrido et al., GIANT DEFORMATION OF SOLIDS IRRADIATED WITH SWIFT HEAVY-IONS - BEHAVIOR OF AMORPHOUS CRYSTALLINE MULTILAYERS/, Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms, 115(1-4), 1996, pp. 430-439
A peculiar manifestation of particle-solid interaction is the plastic
deformation of amorphous materials irradiated with a beam of swift hea
vy ions. This paper presents a study of this process on samples compos
ed of a crystalline metallic layer sandwiched between two amorphous la
yers. The RBS technique is used to determine the modifications of the
geometry of the multilayers due to irradiation. The results show a hug
e shrinkage along the beam direction of both the amorphous and crystal
line layers, with a decreasing deformation rate when the amorphous/cry
stalline layer thickness ratio decreases. The deformation is ascribed
to the strong electronic excitation generated in the wake of the incid
ent ions. The amorphous parts of the target experience the plastic def
ormation phenomenon observed previously, while the crystalline layer i
s subject to a severe creep driven by the expanding adjacent amorphous
layers. The analysis of the results with a rheological model provides
an estimate of the maximum compressive stress which stops the plastic
deformation in amorphous solids.