Revisiting the use of SiC as a post irradiation temperature monitor

Silicon carbide has been used as a post-irradiation temperature monitor since first proposed for this use in 1961. The basic technique has been the repeated measurement of the length of a SiC monitor following isochronal annealing. This technique has been shown to overestimate irradiation temperature by ∼100°C. This paper discusses the use of alternate techniques, including electrical resistivity, to infer irradiation temperature. It is shown that electrical resistivity predicts irradiation temperature within ∼20°C of actual irradiation temperature. Additionally, this technique can be used in the low-temperature (<150°C) amorphization regime, and in irradiation temperatures where irradiation damage is characterized by simple defects in crystalline SiC(<900°C).