Depth-resolved slow positron beam analysis of ECR proton and argon implanted graphite and boron nitride system

Layered materials and sp2 hybridized structures like graphite and hexagonal-boron nitride (h-BN) have been subjected to electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion beam implantation of proton and argon ions at different fluences and studied primarily employing slow positron beam technique using positron annihilation Doppler broadening spectroscopy (DBS). The results show remarkable structural perturbation effects in the implantation areas around the depth of 200–300 nm from the top surface, in both the systems but with glaring differences in the trends of the line shape analysis in terms of S and W parameters. Due to proton and argon ion implantation, structurally damaged lattice with open volume defects exists in graphite. But, for both the ion implantations at the high fluence, profound clustering effect of the respective atoms within the interstitial space are evident in h-BN. The structural effects of both graphite and h-BN lattice after the said implantation have been studied and corroborated through grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GI-Xray) method and Raman scattering spectroscopy as complementary analytical techniques.