title: Non-monotonic temperature dependence of radiation defect dynamics in silicon carbide.
abstract: Understanding response of solids to particle irradiation remains a major materials physics challenge. This applies even to SiC, which is a prototypical nuclear ceramic and wide-band-gap semiconductor material. The lack of predictability is largely related to the complex, dynamic nature of radiation defect formation. Here, we use a novel pulsed-ion-beam method to study dynamic annealing in 4H-SiC ion-bombarded in the temperature range of 25-250 °C. We find that, while the defect recombination efficiency shows an expected monotonic increase with increasing temperature, the defect lifetime exhibits a non-monotonic temperature dependence with a maximum at ~100 °C. This finding indicates a change in the dominant defect interaction mechanism at ~100 °C. The understanding of radiation defect dynamics may suggest new paths to designing radiation-resistant materials.
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA.
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Bayu Aji
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA.|Department of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA.
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Kucheyev