Concentric core-shell tracks and spectroscopic properties of SrTiO3 under intense electronic excitation

Nanoscale core–shell structure and recrystallization of swift heavy ion tracks in SrTiO3

“…Similar observation of seeing discontinuous tracks has also been reported earlier formed by swift heavy ions in SrTiO 3 . 36,37 It is also evident from the atomic-resolution images of the formed ion-tracks that an amorphous core (6.5 ± 1 nm) is surrounded by a brighter crystalline peripheral region (2 ± 0.5 nm). These regions can be distinguished based on the difference in contrast that is more prominent in the disordered area where the intensity in the ADF imaging is more sensitive to the strain fields evolving from irradiation-induced atomic disorder and defect formation along with the atomic number.…”

“…Another possibility could be the complexity in visualizing them due to the stacking of atoms with different disorders in the out-of-plane direction of the image, which appears more disordered. 36 For clarity, an apparent atomic rearrangement is noticed during the annealing process as seen in the enclosed boxes in the figure. It can be seen that recrystallization is easier in the Sr and Ti sublattices, as compared to the O sublattice, leaving behind oxygen vacancies, partial recrystallization and shell-structure formation.…”

Ion velocity effect governs damage annealing process in defective KTaO3

“…Scientific and industrial interest in ion beam modification of potassium tantalate (KTaO 3 ) properties has rapidly exploded in the last decade, ignited by the tunability of its optical [1][2][3] and electronic [4][5][6] properties through irradiation-induced defects [7], which makes KTaO 3 suitable for future optoelectronic and spintronic applications [7,8]. All these applications require effective control of the structural modification, but this is an extremely difficult task, since it demands in-depth knowledge of the interactions of ions with the local defect states in the corresponding material and the resulting evolution of radiation damage [9][10][11]. As a consequence, several studies have focused on understanding the response of pristine (undamaged) KTaO 3 to irradiation with either low-energy ions (E ⩽ 1 keV amu −1 ) or high-energy ions (E > 1 MeV amu −1 ).…”

Structural Damage and Recrystallization Response of Garnet Crystals to Intense Electronic Excitation

“…With the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ion beam techniques play a decisive key role to modify the morphology of different materials at the nanoscale to design and engineer novel micro-and nanostructures, aiming to obtain advanced properties, and further integrate materials sciences, physical, biological, and medical fields, which is highly requested for the development of novel functional materials. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Exploring the dependence of newly developed features and damage morphology on the material, geometry, and irradiation conditions (e.g., ion-projectile species, energy, mass, and fluence) is crucial to understand the complex interactions between ion beams and nanomaterials, revealing the influence of lattice structures on the relaxation kinetics and mechanisms of recrystallization. Ions in the high-velocity regime, swift-heavy ions (SHIs), with specific energies greater than ≈1 MeV u −1 , interact with materials primarily via inelastic collisions with the electrons of the target.…”