Ion/Electron Induced Luminescence for Radiation Damage Process Interpretation and In Situ Material Verification

The Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT), Madrid, Spain, features two installations (2 MeV Van de Graaff electron accelerator and a 60 kV ion implanter) specifically developed for in situ material characterization during irradiation, and focused on the study of volume and surface electrical degradation in insulating materials for fusion applications. These installations have been equipped with optical systems which permit electron and ion beam induced luminescence to be measured at the same time as recording the electrical conductivity. Recent results for combined ion-induced luminescence and surface electrical degradation experiments in alumina confirmed a correlation between conductivity changes and evolution of emission bands with irradiation dose. Similar experiments under electron irradiation in silicon carbide have also shown the usefulness of luminescence for material characterization and evaluation of radiation effects.