Microscopic behavior of carbon stripper foils prepared by a mixed ion beam sputtering method under heavy ion beam bombardment

Abstract

A mixed ion beam sputtering method has been used for preparing long lifetime stripper foils. The microscopic transformations of these originally amorphous carbon foils under heavy ion beam irradiation are described. The structure changes of the carbon foils, irradiated by 3.2 MeV Ne$^{ + }$ ion beams, were examined by a 200 keV electron microscope. The larges sizes of grains of the foils were composed of graphite like polycrystallites that had isotropic configurations, with graphite layers nearly perpendicular to the foil surface.