Work

Ions leaving no tracks

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The paths of swift heavy ions are typically traceable in solids, because of confined electronic interactions along the paths, inducing what is known in literature as “ion tracks”, i.e. nano-sized in cross-section cylindrical zones of modified material extending for microns in length. Such tracks readily form in materials exhibiting low thermal conductivities, in particular insulators or semiconductors, altering the homogeneity of materials. In this work, using recently discovered γ/β-Ga2O3 polymorph heterostructures, we show that, in contrast to the trends in many other materials, including that in β-Ga2O3, swift heavy ions leave no tracks in γ-Ga2O3. We explain this trend in terms of the fast disorder recovery, occurring because of multiple configurations in the γ-Ga2O3 lattice itself, so that the disorder formed by ion impacts gets rapidly erased, giving a perception of ions leaving no tracks. As such, γ-Ga2O3, readily integrated with β-Ga2O3 in polymorph heterostructures, emerges as a promising semiconductor platform for devices capable of operating in harsh radiation environments. It has been shown that swift heavy ions leave no tracks in the spinel polymorph of gallium oxide, because of extremely efficient lattice recovery of the radiation disorder, paving a way for designing new radiation-tolerant materials.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-78195-4