Enhanced diffusion of Zn in Al under high-flux heavy-ion irradiation

Abstract

Zinc diffusion in Al has been enhanced by factors ∼10²‐10⁶ under 80−keV Ne and 160‐keV Ar irradiation at damage rates ≲1 dpa/sec (dpa=displacements per atom). The Ne bombardment was varied in flux in the range (1.4–70) ×10¹³ atoms/cm² sec, and in temperature in the range 50–130 °C. The enhanced diffusion coefficient is linear in Ne flux and nearly independent of temperature, both consistent with annihilation of mobile defects at fixed sites. Analysis indicates that the average diffusion distance to annihilation for mobile defects is ∼1000 Å, and that one mobile defect is created for ∼10² atomic displacements.