Dynamic measurements of radiation-induced electrical-property modifications in CVD-SiC under fast-neutron irradiation

Abstract In situ measurements of the volume electrical conductivities of chemical-vapor-deposited silicon carbide (CVD-SiC) samples were carried out under irradiation by 2.5- and 14-MeV fast-neutron beams in air at room temperature. A slight radiation-induced conductivity (RIC) was detected under fast-neutron irradiation. A radiation-induced electrical degradation (RIED)-like behavior was observed in the form of degradation of the base conductivity in the absence of irradiation with increase in the fast-neutron fluence. The SEM micrograph images and XPS analysis of the surface of the fast-neutron-irradiated CVD-SiC samples revealed that the dissociation of carbon from existing SiO x C 3− x compositions did not only occur via displacement damage, but also via ionizing effects (radiolysis), thereby leading to the observed RIED-like behavior as well as RIC in the electrical properties of the CVD-SiC samples.