Investigation of the applicability of post-irradiation annealing to reduce the degree of disorder in AlN ceramic to proton irradiation

The work presents study results of the applicability of high-temperature heat treatment (500-700°C) of nitride ceramics irradiated with protons with an energy of 1.5 MeV and a dose of 10 16 cm−2 . It was found that heat treatment for 60 minutes at a temperature of 700°C allows us to significantly reduce the density of radiation-induced defects and distortions in ceramics structure due to partial annihilation and relaxation of point defects. Dependences of changes in the strength and mechanical characteristics of ceramics on the temperature of post-irradiation annealing are shown. Based on the data obtained, a conclusion was made about prospects of using post-irradiation annealing to maintain the strength of ceramics subjected to loading during operation.