Tailored conductivity in ion implanted polyetheretherketone

Ion implantation can be used to confer electrical conductivity upon conventional insulating polymers such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK). We have implanted PEEK films using three different types of ion implantation: conventional inert gas and metal ion implantation, and ion beam mixing. We have applied a number of analytical techniques to compare the chemical, structural and electrical properties of these films. The most effective means of increasing electrical conductivity appears to be via ion beam mixing of metals into the polymer, followed by metal ion implantation and finally, inert gas ion implantation. Our results suggest that in all cases, the conducting region corresponds to the implanted layer in the near surface to a depth of similar to750 Angstrom (ion beam mixed) to similar to5000 Angstrom (metal ion). This latter value is significantly higher than would be expected from a purely ballistic standpoint, and can only be attributed to thermal inter-diffusion. Our data also indicates that graphitic carbon is formed within the implant region by chain scission and subsequent cross-linking. All ion implanted samples retained their bulk mechanical properties, i.e. they remained flexible. The implant layers showed no signs of de-lamination. We believe this to be the first comparative study between different implantation techniques, and our results support the proposition that soft electronic circuitry and devices can be created by conductivity engineering with ion beams. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Live cell imaging of heavy-ion-induced radiation responses by beamline microscopy

To study the dynamics of protein recruitment to DNA lesions, ion beams can be used to generate extremely localized DNA damage within restricted regions of the nuclei. This inhomogeneous spatial distribution of lesions can be visualized indirectly and rapidly in the form of radiation-induced foci using immunocytochemical detection or GFP-tagged DNA repair proteins. To analyze faster protein translocations and a possible contribution of radiation-induced chromatin movement in DNA damage recognition in live cells, we developed a remote-controlled system to obtain high-resolution fluorescence images of living cells during ion irradiation with a frame rate of the order of seconds. Using scratch replication labeling, only minor chromatin movement at sites of ion traversal was observed within the first few minutes of impact. Furthermore, time-lapse images of the GFP-coupled DNA repair protein aprataxin revealed accumulations within seconds at sites of ion hits, indicating a very fast recruitment to damaged sites. Repositioning of the irradiated cells after fixation allowed the comparison of live cell observation with immunocytochemical staining and retrospective etching of ion tracks. These results demonstrate that heavy-ion radiation-induced changes in sub-nuclear structures can be used to determine the kinetics of early protein recruitment in living cells and that the changes are not dependent on large-scale chromatin movement at short times postirradiation. © 2005 by Radiation Research Society.

Recent developments in the Thomson Parabola Spectrometer diagnostic for laser-driven multi-species ion sources

Ongoing developments in laser-driven ion acceleration warrant appropriate modifications to the standard Thomson Parabola Spectrometer (TPS) arrangement in order to match the diagnostic requirements associated to the particular and distinctive properties of laser-accelerated beams. Here we present an overview of recent developments by our group of the TPS diagnostic aimed to enhance the capability of diagnosing multi-species high-energy ion beams. In order to facilitate discrimination between ions with same Z / A , a recursive differential filtering technique was implemented at the TPS detector in order to allow only one of the overlapping ion species to reach the detector, across the entire energy range detectable by the TPS. In order to mitigate the issue of overlapping ion traces towards the higher energy part of the spectrum, an extended, trapezoidal electric plates design was envisaged, followed by its experimental demonstration. The design allows achieving high energy-resolution at high energies without sacrificing the lower energy part of the spectrum. Finally, a novel multi-pinhole TPS design is discussed, that would allow angularly resolved, complete spectral characterization of the high-energy, multi-species ion beams.

Energy Loss Function of Solids Assessed by Ion Beam Energy-Loss Measurements: Practical Application to Ta2O5

We present a study where the energy loss function of Ta2O5, initially derived in the optical limit for a limited region of excitation energies from reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS) measurements, was improved and extended to the whole momentum and energy excitation region through a suitable theoretical analysis using the Mermin dielectric function and requiring the fulfillment of physically motivated restrictions, such as the f- and KK-sum rules. The material stopping cross section (SCS) and energy-loss straggling measured for 300–2000 keV proton and 200–6000 keV helium ion beams by means of Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) were compared to the same quantities calculated in the dielectric framework, showing an excellent agreement, which is used to judge the reliability of the Ta2O5 energy loss function. Based on this assessment, we have also predicted the inelastic mean free path and the SCS of energetic electrons in Ta2O5.

Irradiation effects in graphene and related materials

Nanomaterials with a hexagonally ordered atomic structure, e.g., graphene, carbon and boron nitride nanotubes, and white graphene (a monolayer of hexagonal boron nitride) possess many impressive properties. For example, the mechanical stiffness and strength of these materials are unprecedented. Also, the extraordinary electronic properties of graphene and carbon nanotubes suggest that these materials may serve as building blocks of next generation electronics. However, the properties of pristine materials are not always what is needed in applications, but careful manipulation of their atomic structure, e.g., via particle irradiation can be used to tailor the properties. On the other hand, inadvertently introduced defects can deteriorate the useful properties of these materials in radiation hostile environments, such as outer space. In this thesis, defect production via energetic particle bombardment in the aforementioned materials is investigated. The effects of ion irradiation on multi-walled carbon and boron nitride nanotubes are studied experimentally by first conducting controlled irradiation treatments of the samples using an ion accelerator and subsequently characterizing the induced changes by transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The usefulness of the characterization methods is critically evaluated and a damage grading scale is proposed, based on transmission electron microscopy images. Theoretical predictions are made on defect production in graphene and white graphene under particle bombardment. A stochastic model based on first-principles molecular dynamics simulations is used together with electron irradiation experiments for understanding the formation of peculiar triangular defect structures in white graphene. An extensive set of classical molecular dynamics simulations is conducted, in order to study defect production under ion irradiation in graphene and white graphene. In the experimental studies the response of carbon and boron nitride multi-walled nanotubes to irradiation with a wide range of ion types, energies and fluences is explored. The stabilities of these structures under ion irradiation are investigated, as well as the issue of how the mechanism of energy transfer affects the irradiation-induced damage. An irradiation fluence of 5.5x10^15 ions/cm^2 with 40 keV Ar+ ions is established to be sufficient to amorphize a multi-walled nanotube. In the case of 350 keV He+ ion irradiation, where most of the energy transfer happens through inelastic collisions between the ion and the target electrons, an irradiation fluence of 1.4x10^17 ions/cm^2 heavily damages carbon nanotubes, whereas a larger irradiation fluence of 1.2x10^18 ions/cm^2 leaves a boron nitride nanotube in much better condition, indicating that carbon nanotubes might be more susceptible to damage via electronic excitations than their boron nitride counterparts. An elevated temperature was discovered to considerably reduce the accumulated damage created by energetic ions in both carbon and boron nitride nanotubes, attributed to enhanced defect mobility and efficient recombination at high temperatures. Additionally, cobalt nanorods encapsulated inside multi-walled carbon nanotubes were observed to transform into spherical nanoparticles after ion irradiation at an elevated temperature, which can be explained by the inverse Ostwald ripening effect. The simulation studies on ion irradiation of the hexagonal monolayers yielded quantitative estimates on types and abundances of defects produced within a large range of irradiation parameters. He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and Ga ions were considered in the simulations with kinetic energies ranging from 35 eV to 10 MeV, and the role of the angle of incidence of the ions was studied in detail. A stochastic model was developed for utilizing the large amount of data produced by the molecular dynamics simulations. It was discovered that a high degree of selectivity over the types and abundances of defects can be achieved by carefully selecting the irradiation parameters, which can be of great use when precise pattering of graphene or white graphene using focused ion beams is planned.

Experimental verification of therapeutic doses for the superficially-placed tumor radiotherapy with heavy ions at HIRFL

Up to now, clinical trials of heavy-ion radiotherapy for superficially placed tumors have been carried out for six times and over 60 selected patients have been treated with 80—100 MeV/u carbon ions supplied by the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL) at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences since November, 2006. A passive irradiation system and a dose optimization method for radiotherapy with carbon-ion beams have been developed. Experimental verification of longitudinally ...

Investigation of excited states in 22Mg via resonant elastic scattering of 21Na+p and its astrophysical implications

The excited states in 22Mg have been investigated by the resonant elastic scattering of 21Na + p.A 4.0 MeV/nucleon 21Na beam was separated by the Center for Nuclear Study (CNS) radioactive ion beam separator (CRIB) and then used to bombard a thick (CH2)n target. The energy spectra of recoiled protons were measured at scattering angles of θc.m. ≈ 172◦, 146◦, and 134◦, respectively. A wide energy-range of excitation function in 22Mg (up to Ex ∼ 8.9 MeV) was obtained simultaneously with a thick-target method, and a state at 7.06 MeV was newly observed. The resonant parameters were deduced from an R-matrix analysis of the center-of-mass (c.m.) differential cross-section data with a SAMMY-M6-BETA code. The astrophysical resonant reaction rate for the 18Ne(α,p)21Na reactionwas recalculated based on the present parameters.Generally speaking,the present rates are much smaller than the previous ones.

HIRFL-CSR commissioning in 2006 and 2007

HIRFL-CSR, a new heavy ion cooler-storage-ring system at IMP, had been in commissioning since the beginning of 2006. In the two years of 2006 and 2007 the CSR commissioning was finished, including the stripping injection (STI), electron-cooling with hollow electron beam, C-beam stacking with the combination of STI and e-cooling, the wide energy-range synchrotron ramping from 7 MeV/u to 1000 MeV/u by changing the RF harmonic-number at mid-energy, the multiple multi-turn injection (MMI), the beam accumulation with MMI and e-cooling for heavy-ion beams of Ar, Kr and Xe, the fast extraction from CSRm and single-turn injection to CSRe, beam stacking in CSRe and the RIBs mass-spectrometer test with the isochronous mode in CSRe by using the time-of-flight method.

Commissioning of electron cooling in CSRm

A new generation electron cooler has started operation in the heavy ion synchrotron CSRm which is used to increase the intensity of heavy ions. Transverse cooling of the ion beam after horizontal multi-turn injection allows beam accumulation at the injection energy. After optimization of the accumulation process an intensity increase in a synchrotron pulse by more than one order of magnitude has been achieved. In given accumulation time interval of 10 seconds, 108particles have been accumulated and accelerated to the final energy. The momentum spread after accumulation and acceleration in the 10−4 range has been demonstrated in six species of ion beams. Primary measurements of accumulation process varying with electron energy,electron beam current, electron beam profile, expansion factor and injection interval have been performed.The lifetimes of ion beams in the presence of electron beams were roughly measured with the help of DCCT signal.

HIRFL-CSR频谱现象：中心频率突变分析研究

In commissioning the HIRFL-CSR (Cooler Storage Ring of Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou),with the spectrum analyzer monitoring the beams on-line, we measured many parameters of the beam status for improving quality of the heavy ion beams. In this paper, the sudden change of the beam center frequency is analyzed.A theoretical analysis is done mainly on instabilities of the electron voltage and the neutralization factor. Simulations were made for the problem. According to the simulation result, we can conclude that it is the instability of neutralization factor that caused the problem. 中文摘要：HIRFL-CSR调试过程中，利用频谱分析仪实时监测束流，根据其上测的数据进行相关参数调整，改善束流的品质。本文对分析仪上观测到的现象一束流的中心频率发生突变进行了研究，主要就电子束的高压不稳定性和中性化因子的突变做了理论分析，并进行了相关的模拟计算 ，根据模拟结果初步断定该现象的出现由电子束的中性化因子导致。

全永磁ECR离子源研究进展

Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ion source is regarded as the most efficient machine to produce stable multiple charge state ion beams. Because of the special characteristics, all-permanent magnet ECR ion sources have been widely adopted around the world to produce stable ion beams of multiple charge state with good repetition have been widely adopted around the world to produce stable ion beams of multiple charge state with good repetition and high duty factor for compact research platforms and ion beam implanters. In this paper, all-permanent magnet ECR ion sources developed at IMP are presented, and typical parameters and performances are discussed. The high charge state source, LAPECR2, is mainly used to produce intense high charge state ion beams, and the LAPECR1 source is designed to produce intense ion beams of medium and low charge state. An improved LAPECR1-M is specially designed to produce heavy metal ion beams of low charge state. These ECR ion sources have been adopted by different experimental terminals at IMP and, with their nice performance, many experimental studies could be possible. 中文文摘：ECR(电子回旋共振)离子源是产生稳定的强流多电荷态离子束流最有效装置。全永磁ECR 离子源因其独特的特点为很多中小型多电荷态离子束流实验平台与离子注入机等系统所采用，为后者产生重复性好、稳定性强的多电荷态离子束流。本文着重论述了中国科学院近代物理研究所研制的几台全永磁多电荷态ECR 离子源及其特性与典型性能，如能产生强流高电荷态离子束流的高性能全永磁离子源LAPECR2，能产生强流中 低电荷态离子束流的LAPECR1，能产生多电荷态重金属离子束流的LAPECR1-M 等。这些性能稳定的离子源为提高近代物理研究所相关试验平台的性能提供了关键的束流品质保障。

Effects of magnetic configuration on hot electrons in highly charged ECR plasma

To investigate the hot electrons in highly charged electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma, Bremsstrahlung radiations were measured on two ECR ion sources at the Institute of Modern Physics. Used as a comparative index of the mean energy of the hot electrons, a spectral temperature, Tspe, is derived through a linear fitting of the spectra in a semi-logarithmic representation. The influences of the external source parameters, especially the magnetic configuration, on the hot electrons are studied systematically. This study has experimentally demonstrated the importance of high microwave frequency and high magnetic field in the electron resonance heating to produce a high density of hot electrons, which is consistent with the empirical ECR scaling laws. The experimental results have again shown that a good compromise is needed between the ion extraction and the plasma confinement for an efficient production of highly charged ion beams. In addition, this investigation has shown that the correlation between the mean energy of the hot electrons and the magnetic field gradient at the ECR is well in agreement with the theoretical models.中文摘要：ECR(电子回旋共振)离子源是产生稳定的强流多电荷态离子束流最有效装置。全永磁 ECR 离子源因其独特的特点为很多中小型多电荷态离子束流实验平台与离子注入机等系统所采用，为后者产生重复性好、稳定性强的多电荷态离子束流。本文着重论述了中国科学院近代物理研究所研制的几台全永磁多电荷态ECR离子源及其特性与典型性能，如能产生强流高电荷态离子束流的高性能全永磁离子源LAPECR2，能产生强流中低电荷态离子束流的LAPECR1，能产生多电荷态重金属离子束流的LAPECR1-M等。这些性能稳定的离子源为提高近代物理研究所相关试验平台的性能提供了关键的束流品质保障。