Damage Accumulation in MgAl 2 O 4 Crystals by Xe Ion Irradiations

We have studied the damage kinetics in single crystal MgAl 2 O 4 (spinel) with (100) orientation under 370 keV Xe ion irradiations at temperatures of -100 and 400 C. In-situ Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and ion channeling have been used to monitor the damage accumulation in spinel following sequential Xe ion irradiations. A significant temperature effect on the irradiation damage has been found. Channeling data show that at -100 C, the irradiated spinel layer reaches the same level as in a random spectrum at a dose of 8×10 15 Xe/cm 2 (20 DPA for peak damage), while at 400 C, the near surface region (50 nm) remains single-crystalline up to 2×10 16 Xe/cm 2 .