3D Thermal Spike Simulation: Swift Heavy Ion Irradiation of Embedded a-SiC Nano-Zone Inside 4H-SiC

The thermal spike model has come out as a reliable predictive model to address the effects of swift heavy ion–matter interaction. This work utilizes the 3D Thermal Spike Model to compute the lattice temperature profiles for 100 meV Ag ions hitting a-SiC, pristine 4H-SiC single crystal, and layers comprising spherical a-SiC nano-zone embedded inside the 4H-SiC crystalline lattice. The lattice temperature surpasses the melting point for both a-SiC (2445 K) and crystalline 4H-SiC (3500 K), although the spike lasts longer in a-SiC. The thermal spike simulated for the embedded a-SiC nano-zone is demonstrated to start from the center and move outwards, resulting in melting of the whole nano-zone as well as the crystalline–amorphous interfacial region.