Ion implantation of Cs into silicon carbide: Damage production and diffusion behaviour

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a potential cladding material for advanced nuclear fuels. In operating conditions, SiC will be submitted to energetic particles which may alter its retention capability for the fission products. The aim of the present work is to examine the effects induced by the implantation of a typical fission product (Cs) into SiC and to study its diffusion behaviour during thermal treatments. The results indicate that implantation at room temperature induces a total disorder (amorphization) at about 0.25 dpa. Subsequent thermal treatments reveal that defect annealing initiates at ∼600 °C and that SiC begins to recover a crystalline structure at ∼1300 °C. Besides, the implanted Cs atoms start to diffuse within the temperature range 1150-1300 °C.