The effects of thermal quenching on ion-beam-induced phase transformation detection by ion-beam-induced luminescence

Abstract Ion beam interactions with many ceramics produce strong luminescence, which may be collected and analyzed to observe radiation damage effects. Exposure to radiation in these environments can cause transitions between periodic and aperiodic microstructures, and thus affect the microstructural characteristics of the materials. However, little is known about the role of temperature and its effect on phase transformation during ion-irradiation. A new method for in situ analysis using photon emissions during heavy ion implantation was developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The ion-beam-induced phase transformation of alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) was studied at room temperature. The results indicate that luminescence is strongly dependent on temperature during ion-irradiation.