Analysis of the recovery of dilute alloys of gold and silver in copper after low temperature electron irradiation

Abstract

The influence of dilute concentrations of both Au and Ag atoms on the stage I and stage I1 annealing structure in copper has been investigated using electrical resistivity measurements. An excellent agreement of the stage Id and I, experimental data with the theoretical predictions of the SimpsonJosin full diffusional theory is obtained; this analysis determines the capture radius of solute Au atoms in Cu to be 1.7 ± 0.1 I.c. and that of solute Ag atoms in Cu to be 1.8 ± 0.1 I.c. (in comparison with an interstitial-vacancy capture radius of 3.2 1.c.). Four well-defined recovery substages are observed in the dilute alloys during stage I1 recovery. An interpretation of each of these substages, consistent with experimental results, is presented. The following processes were observed to occur during stage 11: The release of trapped interstitial atoms from trapping centers formed by the proximity of a gold atom near a vacancy; the rearrangement of trapped interstitials to new trapping positions at impurity atoms; and the thermal activation of trapped interstitials. from doublet impurity atoms as well as from single impurity atoms.