Detecting swift heavy ion irradiation effects with graphene

O. Ochedowski (1) , S. Akcöltekin (1) , B. Ban-D‘etat (2) , Henning Lebius (2) , M. Schleberger (1)

1 Fachbereich Physik [Duisburg]
2 MADIR - Matériaux, Défauts et IRradiations

In this paper we show how single layer graphene can be utilized to study swift heavy ion (SHI) modifications on various substrates. The samples were prepared by mechanical exfoliation of bulk graphite onto SrTiO3, NaCl and Si(111), respectively. SHI irradiations were performed under glancing angles of incidence and the samples were analysed by means of atomic force microscopy in ambient conditions. We show that graphene can be used to check whether the irradiation was successful or not, to determine the nominal ion fluence and to locally mark SHI impacts. In case of samples prepared in situ, graphene is shown to be able to catch material which would otherwise escape from the surface.

Domains: Physics [physics]; Condensed Matter [cond-mat]; Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]

O. Ochedowski, S. Akcöltekin, B. Ban-D‘etat, Henning Lebius, M. Schleberger. Detecting swift heavy ion irradiation effects with graphene. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2013, 314, pp.18-20. ⟨10.1016/j.nimb.2013.03.063⟩. ⟨hal-03201790⟩