A Monte Carlo simulation code for calculating damage and particle transport in solids: The case for electron-bombarded solids for electron energies up to 900 MeV

Abstract Current popular Monte Carlo simulation codes for simulating electron bombardment in solids focus primarily on electron trajectories, instead of electron-induced displacements. Here we report a Monte Carol simulation code, DEEPER ( d amag e cr e ation and p article transport in matt er ), developed for calculating 3-D distributions of displacements produced by electrons of incident energies up to 900 MeV. Electron elastic scattering is calculated by using full-Mott cross sections for high accuracy, and primary-knock-on-atoms (PKAs)-induced damage cascades are modeled using ZBL potential. We compare and show large differences in 3-D distributions of displacements and electrons in electron-irradiated Fe. The distributions of total displacements are similar to that of PKAs at low electron energies. But they are substantially different for higher energy electrons due to the shifting of PKA energy spectra towards higher energies. The study is important to evaluate electron-induced radiation damage, for the applications using high flux electron beams to intentionally introduce defects and using an electron analysis beam for microstructural characterization of nuclear materials.