EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND IRRADIATION DOSE OF He+ AND N+ IONS ON SURFACE SWELLING AT GRAIN INTERIOR AND GRAIN BOUNDARY IN TYPE 316 STAINLESS STEEL
Austenitic stainless steel specimens of type 316SS were irradiated by 200 keV He + ions or 200 keV N + ions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to study the fine surface deformation of the irradiated specimens. At the high temperatures of He + ion irradiation, distinct swelling was observed at grain interior and grain boundaries by AFM and helium bubbles were found by TEM. It is suggested that helium atoms agglomerate in high doses and high temperatures. The nanometer-level step height of surface swelling induced by He + ion irradiation has obvious dependence on the irradiation dose and temperature. In the case of N + ion irradiation, the swelling was observed at grain interior but the step height was less remarkable than in the case of He + ions. The swelling is induced by void formation. The caved-in grain boundaries were recognized in N + ion irradiated area.