Observation of the Behavior of Deuteriums Implanted in Aluminium by Use of the Nuclear Reaction D(³He, p)⁴He

By applying the depth-profiling technique using the nuclear reaction D(³He, p)⁴He, the thermal behavior of deuteriums implanted in aluminium at a depth of 0-2 μm was examined. The behavior of deuteriums depended greatly on the polishing procedures for the sample surface. When the surface was polished on a series of five abrasive papers or finished by diamond paste, the dispersion behavior of deuteriums in aluminium was quite different from that preducted on the basis of ordinary diffusion in homogeneous media. As suggested by Bugeat and Ligeon, it may be explained by the existence of a weak trapping effect against implanted deuteriums. The half-life of the trapped state at 0°C was estimated at about 1.4×10⁴ sec. Once they are released from the trapping sites, they rapidly disperse over the bulk of aluminium with an ordinary diffusivity measured by permeation methods. On the other hand, for the samples whose surface was finished with coarse Al₂O₃, the deuterium implanted at a depth of 0-2 μm had a much smaller dispersibility than those observed for samples which were polished on a series of five abrasive papers or finished by diamond paste. At room temperature the depth profile was almost unchanged, even after a few weeks. A large depth-dependence of the dispersion behavior was observed.