BA materials activities: Radiation induced electrical degradation of HP SiC

Within the EU-Japan Broader Approach (BA) materials activities, the Euratom/CIEMAT fusion association will carry out work to characterize basic properties of silicon carbide materials. Work has begun on hot pressed (HP) SiC. The material has been irradiated with 1.8 MeV electrons and implanted with 50 keV He in order to study radiation induced electrical degradation in the bulk and surface of the material. For both 1.8 MeV electron irradiation and 50 keV He implantation amorphization of HP SiC occurs together with notable changes in the electrical behaviour. Microstructure has been examined using X-ray diffraction and SEM.