Ion-Beam Induced Current in High-Resistance Materials

The peculiarities of electric current in high-resistance materials, such as semiconductors or semimetals, irradiated by ion beams are considered. It is shown that after ion--beam irradiation an unusual electric current may arise directed against the applied voltage. Such a negative current is a transient effect appearing at the initial stage of the process. The possibility of using this effect for studying the characteristics of irradiated materials is discussed. A new method for defining the mean projected range of ions is suggested.