Microstructure of SiC fibers by swift heavy ion beam irradiation

In this paper, third generation SiC fiber material irradiated with the 410 MeV energy of Sn-112(26+) ion at 173 K was analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Raman spectroscopy, TEM and XRD data show modifications in the local structure of irradiated SiC fibers. Although highly disordered SiC grains were observed in appearance, no evidence of amorphization was found. After the Sn ions irradiation and XRD, two diffraction peaks disappeared, which showed that the rich Si and C could be further combined in 1.5 x 10(15) ions/cm(2) dose irradiation condition. This result mainly explains the electron damage and the nuclear damage process in SiC fibers, leading to the recombination or migration of defects.