The JANNUS Saclay facility: A new platform for materials irradiation, implantation and ion beam analysis

doi:10.1016/j.nimb.2011.07.078

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms

Volume 273, 15 February 2012, Pages 213-217

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2011.07.078 Get rights and content

Abstract

The third accelerator of the multi-ion irradiation platform JANNUS (Joint Accelerators for Nanosciences and NUclear Simulation), a 6SDH-2 Pelletron from National Electrostatic Corporation, Middleton was installed at Saclay in October 2009. The first triple beam irradiation combining Fe, He and H ion beams has been performed in March 2010. In the first part of this paper, we give a technical description of the triple beam facility, its performances and experimental capabilities. Typically, damage dose up to 100 dpa can be reached in 10 h irradiation with heavy ion beams, with or without simultaneous bombardment by protons, helium-4 ions or any other heavy ion beam. In the second part of this paper, we illustrate some IBA results obtained after irradiation and implantation experiments.

Introduction

In the 21st century, nuclear materials have to face a lot of technological challenges, as for example, the increase in the operating life of the existing nuclear reactors (Generations II and III), the emerging of new reactor concepts in the frame of Generation IV initiative and the development of fusion testing machines or spallation facilities. These challenges are mainly linked to stronger irradiation damage yields (50–100 displacements per atoms “dpa”), higher operating temperature (>800 °C) and larger production of helium and hydrogen (from one to several hundreds of appm/dpa) [1]. Any kind of components of the nuclear generators are concerned: nuclear fuel, cladding alloys, metallic and composite structural materials, coatings, plasma facing, blanket and breeder materials [2].

The mechanisms able to control the evolution of the irradiated materials, and therefore, to modify their thermo-mechanical properties need to be studied more and more precisely by an approach coupled to multiscale modeling calculations [3].

Due to difficulties encountered to perform neutron irradiation experiments in testing reactors, the simulation of neutron interactions with condensed matter based on the use of energetic ion beams shows a large development [4], [5]. For that purpose, a new multi-ion beam facility called JANNUS was recently established [6] and is described below in the first part of this paper. In the second part, we present some results of the contribution of ion beam analysis techniques at the JANNUS facility.

Section snippets

Description of the JANNUS facility

Since 2006, France has developed a multi-ion beam facility located in two complementary hosting sites at the Orsay University and at the Energy Commission Atomic Center of Saclay.

The JANNUS Orsay platform couples a 2 MV ion accelerator (ARAMIS), a 190 kV ion implanter (IRMA) and a 200 kV TEM [7]. This facility is dedicated to in situ observations of structural evolution of materials under irradiation in single or dual ion beam mode.

The JANNUS Saclay facility couples three electrostatic

Example of the synthesis of ceramic nanoprecipitates in metallic substrate by ion beam co-irradiation and composition determination by NRA

The dispersion of nanoprecipitates of a ceramic phase such as oxide, carbide or nitride has proved in the last 10 years to be an interesting option to improve the thermomechanical, corrosion resistance and radiation tolerance properties metallic alloys [10], [11]. In the case of ODS, oxide nanoprecipitates act as defect sinks and trapping sites for gas atoms [12]. In the frame of the development of advanced materials to be applied in Generation IV nuclear reactors and nuclear fusion reactors,

Conclusion

Few examples of the use of the JANNUS multi-ion beam platform have been detailed and illustrated showing the capabilities of implantation/irradiation and IBA.

We have presented the first results obtained on nanophase precipitation in silicon by co-irradiating with Si and C ion beams and on the He thermal migration mechanisms in iron.

A lot of instrumental efforts have now to be carried out at JANNUS Saclay

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to improve the quantity of ion experiments and especially dual and triple beam irradiations

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The JANNUS Saclay facility: A new platform for materials irradiation, implantation and ion beam analysis

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Description of the JANNUS facility

Example of the synthesis of ceramic nanoprecipitates in metallic substrate by ion beam co-irradiation and composition determination by NRA

Conclusion

C.R. Phys.

J. Nucl. Mater.

J. Nucl. Mater.

Nucl. Instr. Meth. Phys. Res. B

J. Nucl. Mater.

Nucl. Instr. Meth. Phys. Res.

J. Nucl. Mater.

J. Nucl. Mater.