Radiations hardness of nanocrystalline nickel under 450 keV protons

Abstract This contribution reports on the effects of 450 keV proton irradiation within the 1015–1017H+/cm2 fluence range on nano-crystalline Ni thin films. The surface and in-volume induced damages were investigated by grazing incidence X-rays diffraction, atomic force microscopy, Rutherford backscattering as well as four-point probe resistivity measurements. Within such a type of H+ irradiation, a significant surface roughening and amorphization of the external parts of the Ni crystallites for the lowest fluence (1015 H+/cm2 and a re-crystalization for higher fluences (1016–1017 H+/cm2) was observed.