Radiation induced changes in electrical conductivity of chemical vapor deposited silicon carbides under fast neutron and gamma-ray irradiations

The radiation-induced changes in the volume electrical conductivities of chemical vapor deposited silicon carbides (CVD-SiCs) were in-site investigated by performing irradiation using 1.17 and 1.33-MeV gamma-ray and 14-MeV fast neutron beams in air and vacuum. Under gamma-ray irradiation at ionization dose rates of 3.6 and 5.9 Gy/s and irradiation temperature of approximately 300 K, the initial rapid increase in electrical conductivity; this is indicative of radiation-induced conductivity (RIC), occurred due to electronic excitation, and a more gradual increase followed up to a dose of approximately 10–50 kGy corresponding to the results in base conductivity without radiation; this is indicative of radiation-induced electrical degradation (RIED). However, the radiation-induced phenomena were not observed at irradiation temperatures above 373 K. Under neutron irradiation at a further low dose rate below approximately 2.1 Gy/s, a fast neutron flux of 9.2 × 1014 n/m2 s, and 300 K, the RIED-like behavior according to radiation-induced modification of the electrical property occurred with essentially no displacement damage, but ionizing effects (radiolysis).