TRANSVERSE SECTIONS FROM HELIUM-IMPLANTED COPPER USING ULTRAMICROTOMY

The helium bubbles produced in copper by helium ion-implantation are i nvestigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Preparing TE M specimens from helium-implanted metals poses difficulties because of the high levels of gas, defects, dislocations and stress. These diffi culties are especially acute for preparing transverse sections (i.e., sections perpendicular to the implanted surface) and most previous stu dies have been limited to planar sections prepared parallel with the s urface. Here, we report the successful preparation of transverse secti ons from heavily implanted copper using diamond-knife ultramicrotomy. This has enabled the bubble structure to be viewed in planes normal to the implanted layer. Bubble shapes and sizes are determined and compa red with the results for parallel sections, it is concluded that the b ubbles are equi-axed and that the distribution of bubble sizes as a fu nction of depth is a bell-shaped curve that broadly matches the concen tration profile of the implanted helium.