Interface stability and self-organization of precipitates under irradiation

The evolution of interfaces in alloys under irradiation is modeled using a description where two dynamics are operating in parallel. The first dynamic corresponds to the thermally activated migration of atoms. assisted by poi nt defects. The second dynamic corresponds to the forced. ballistic, mixing produced by nuclear collisions in metallic alloys. Using atomistic kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations and analytical modeling, it is shown that interfac es under irradiation can undergo kinetic roughening or kinetic faceting and that self-organization of precipitates at a mesoscale can be obtained when the range of ballistic mixing is greater than a threshold value. Practical consequences for ion-beam synthesis of nonequilibrium nanostructures are d iscussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.