The Role of Proton Component in the Evolution of K-208 Glass Morphologyunder Combined Electron-Proton Irradiation
By the methods of atomic force microscopy (AFM) we investigated the surfaces of samples of K-208 glass after separate and combined irradiation in vacuum pv = 10−4 Pa with protons and electrons with energies of 20 keV and 30 keV, respectively. At proton flux densities φp and electrons φe from 1 × 1011 to 5 × 1012 cm–2 s–1, the fluences of the particles Φp and Φe varied in the range 1 × 1014 –5 × 1016 cm–2. The obtained results allow us to state the following: the character of changes in the morphology of the samples under the action of protons and electron-proton plasma for φp 12 cm–2 s–1 at φe: φp p ≥ 5 × 1012 cm–2 s–1, the change in the morphology of the glass is determined by the mass transfer caused by the local heating of the near-surface layer. In the case of proton irradiation, a model is proposed that describes the process of field migration of sodium ions, which plays a key role in the restructuring of the microstructure of glass and the release of atoms of nonbridging oxygen.