Comparison of Lattice-Parameter and Resistivity Change in Electron-Irradiated Aluminum

Abstract

Lattice-parameter and residual-resistivity measurements were performed on high-purity aluminum samples irradiated simultaneously with 3-MeV electrons at 4.5 °K. For the latticeparameter measurements, a rotating single-crystal backreflection x-ray technique with monochromatic radiation ($\mathrm{Cu} K{\alpha }_1$) was used with a resolution of $\frac{\Delta a}{a}\approx 6.5\times {10}^{-6\mathrm{}}$. In four runs the ratio $\eta =\frac{\left(\frac{\Delta a}{a}\right)}{\Delta \rho }$ was determined as a function of defect concentration and of thermal recovery. During defect production the ratio $\eta$ amounts to (1.61 ± 0.10) × ${10}^3$ ${\left(\mathrm{\Omega }\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}\right)}^{-1\mathrm{}}$ and remains unaffected by the radiation annealing processes up to defect densities of about 2 × ${10}^{-3\mathrm{}}$. Furthermore, the ratio $\eta$ stays constant throughout the recovery stages I, II, and III. This behavior suggests that the rearrangement in the local distribution of the interstitials and vacancies accompanying the radiation annealing and thermal recovery processes - especially the interstitial clustering processes - does not appreciably affect the lattice-parameter expansion and the electrical resistivity per unit of Frenkel-defect concentration.