Damage effects of high energy electrons on metals

In this paper, we present results obtained both experimentally, using in-situ electrical resistivity measurements in the high voltage electron microscope, and theoretically, using molecular dynamics computer simulations. These data give a detailed picture of the mechanisms of atomic displacement in Cu and make it possible to quantitatively predict the production rate of point defects given the incident electron beam energy and direction relative to the crystalline axes. Damage effects are found to be important at energies as low as 100–400 keV. We also review the work that has been carried out on other metals and the effect of temperature on the damage production process.