Electron-beam induced recrystallization in amorphous apatite

Abstract

Electron-beam induced recrystallization of irradiation-induced amorphous Sr2 Nd8 (Si O4) 6 O2 is investigated in situ using transmission electron microscopy with 200 keV electrons at room temperature. Epitaxial recrystallization is observed from both the amorphous/crystalline interface and the surface, and the recrystallization is more pronounced with increasing electron-beam flux. Since the temperature increase induced by electron-beam irradiation is estimated to be less than 7 K and maximum energies transferred to target atoms are below the displacement energies, ionization-induced processes are considered to be the primary mechanisms for the solid-phase epitaxial recrystallization observed in the present study. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.