Swift heavy ion induced recrystallization in cubic silicon carbide: New insights from designed experiments and MD simulations

3C-SiC single crystals have been initially irradiated in the nuclear energy loss regime with 100 keV Fe ions to fluences ranging from 4 × 1013 to 4 × 1014 cm−2 (i.e. 0.07–0.7 dpa). RBS/C measurements indicate that SiC rapidly becomes amorphous (at ∼0.4 dpa). Two damaged SiC crystals exhibiting a different defective structure have been subsequently irradiated in the electronic energy loss regime with 870 MeV swift heavy (Pb) ions (SHIs) up to a fluence of 4 × 1013 cm−2. Initially fully amorphous SiC layers showed a decrease in size after SHI irradiation with a recrystallization occurring at the amorphous–crystalline interface. On the contrary, partially amorphous crystals for which onset of amorphization just initiated at the damage peak recovered over the entire damage thickness. Variation of amorphous thickness or disorder level has been monitored as a function of Pb ion fluence, which allowed deriving recrystallization kinetics. Data have been fitted with the direct-impact model and recrystallization cross-sections and threshold values for recovery have been determined for both types of initially defective structures. Differences are qualitatively discussed in terms of nature and density of irradiation defects. All experimental trends have been successfully reproduced by molecular dynamics simulations that mimicked thermal spikes induced by SHIs.