The amount of damage that radiation causes in electronic materials may be at least 10 times greater than previously thought.
That is the surprising result of a new characterization method that uses a combination of lasers and acoustic waves to provide scientists with a capability tantamount to X-ray vision: It allows them to peer through solid materials to pinpoint the size and location of defects buried deep inside with unprecedented precision.
The research, which was conducted by post-doctoral fellow Andrew Steigerwald under the supervision of Professor of Physics Norman Tolk, was published online on July 9 in the Journal of Applied Physics.