scholarly journals Low-temperature plasticity of olivine revisited with in situ TEM nanomechanical testing

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. e1501671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hosni Idrissi ◽  
Caroline Bollinger ◽  
Francesca Boioli ◽  
Dominique Schryvers ◽  
Patrick Cordier

The rheology of the lithospheric mantle is fundamental to understanding how mantle convection couples with plate tectonics. However, olivine rheology at lithospheric conditions is still poorly understood because experiments are difficult in this temperature range where rocks and mineral become very brittle. We combine techniques of quantitative in situ tensile testing in a transmission electron microscope and numerical modeling of dislocation dynamics to constrain the low-temperature rheology of olivine. We find that the intrinsic ductility of olivine at low temperature is significantly lower than previously reported values, which were obtained under strain-hardened conditions. Using this method, we can anchor rheological laws determined at higher temperature and can provide a better constraint on intermediate temperatures relevant for the lithosphere. More generally, we demonstrate the possibility of characterizing the mechanical properties of specimens, which can be available in the form of submillimeter-sized particles only.

1988 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. Bench ◽  
I. M. Robertson ◽  
M. A. Kirk

ABSTRACTTransmission electron microscopy experiments have been performed to investigate the lattice damage created by heavy-ion bombardments in GaAs. These experiments have been performed in situ by using the HVEN - Ion Accelerator Facility at Argonne National Laboratory. The ion bcorbardments (50 keV Ar+ and Kr+) and the microscopy have been carried out at temperatures rangrin from 30 to 300 K. Ion fluences ranged from 2 × 1011 to 5 × 1013 ions cm−2.Direct-inpact amorphization is observed to occur in both n-type and semi-insulating GaAs irradiated to low ion doses at 30 K and room temperature. The probability of forming a visible defect is higher for low temperature irradiations than for room temperature irradiations. The amorphous zones formed at low temperature are stable to temperatures above 250 K. Post implantation annealing is seen to occur at room temperature for all samples irradiated to low doses until eventually all visible damage disappears.


Author(s):  
Vasily Bulatov ◽  
Wei Cai

In the preceding chapters we have discussed several computational approaches focused on the structure and motion of single dislocations. Here we turn our attention to collective motion of many dislocations, which is what the method of dislocation dynamics (DD) was designed for. Typical length and time scales of DD simulations are on the order of microns and seconds, similar to in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments where dislocations are observed to move in real time. In a way, DD simulations can be regarded as a computational counterpart of in situ TEM experiments. One very valuable aspect of such a “computational experiment” is that one has full control of the simulation conditions and access to the positions of all dislocation lines at any instant of time. Provided the dislocation model is realistic, DD simulations can offer important insights that help answer the fundamental questions in crystal plasticity, such as the origin of the complex dislocation patterns that emerge during plastic deformation and the relationship between microstructure, loading conditions and the mechanical strength of the crystal. So far, two approaches to dislocation dynamics simulations have emerged. In the line DD method to be discussed in this chapter, dislocations are represented as mathematical lines in an otherwise featureless host medium. An alternative approach is to rely on a continuous field of eigenstrains, in which regions of high strain gradients reveal the locations of the dislocation lines. This representation leads to the phase field DD approach, which will be discussed in Chapter 11. Line DD has certain similarities with the models discussed in the previous chapters, but, at the same time, is rather different from all of them. For example, the representation of dislocations by line segments in line DD method is similar to the kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) model of Chapter 9. However, having to deal with multiple dislocations on large length and times scales necessitates a more economical treatment of dislocations in the line DD method. Thus, line DD usually relies on less detailed discretization of dislocation lines and treats dislocation motion as deterministic.


Author(s):  
D. A. Smith

The nucleation and growth processes which lead to the formation of a thin film are particularly amenable to investigation by transmission electron microscopy either in situ or subsequent to deposition. In situ studies have enabled the observation of island nucleation and growth, together with addition of atoms to surface steps. This paper is concerned with post-deposition crystallization of amorphous alloys. It will be argued that the processes occurring during low temperature deposition of one component systems are related but the evidence is mainly indirect. Amorphous films result when the deposition conditions such as low temperature or the presence of impurities (intentional or unintentional) preclude the atomic mobility necessary for crystallization. Representative examples of this behavior are CVD silicon grown below about 670°C, metalloids, such as antimony deposited at room temperature, binary alloys or compounds such as Cu-Ag or Cr O2, respectively. Elemental metals are not stable in the amorphous state.


Author(s):  
F. M. Ross ◽  
R. Hull ◽  
D. Bahnck ◽  
J. C. Bean ◽  
L. J. Peticolas ◽  
...  

We describe an investigation of the electrical properties of interfacial dislocations in strained layer heterostructures. We have been measuring both the structural and electrical characteristics of strained layer p-n junction diodes simultaneously in a transmission electron microscope, enabling us to correlate changes in the electrical characteristics of a device with the formation of dislocations.The presence of dislocations within an electronic device is known to degrade the device performance. This degradation is of increasing significance in the design and processing of novel strained layer devices which may require layer thicknesses above the critical thickness (hc), where it is energetically favourable for the layers to relax by the formation of misfit dislocations at the strained interfaces. In order to quantify how device performance is affected when relaxation occurs we have therefore been investigating the electrical properties of dislocations at the p-n junction in Si/GeSi diodes.


Author(s):  
Tai D. Nguyen ◽  
Ronald Gronsky ◽  
Jeffrey B. Kortright

Nanometer period Ru/C multilayers are one of the prime candidates for normal incident reflecting mirrors at wavelengths < 10 nm. Superior performance, which requires uniform layers and smooth interfaces, and high stability of the layered structure under thermal loadings are some of the demands in practical applications. Previous studies however show that the Ru layers in the 2 nm period Ru/C multilayer agglomerate upon moderate annealing, and the layered structure is no longer retained. This agglomeration and crystallization of the Ru layers upon annealing to form almost spherical crystallites is a result of the reduction of surface or interfacial energy from die amorphous high energy non-equilibrium state of the as-prepared sample dirough diffusive arrangements of the atoms. Proposed models for mechanism of thin film agglomeration include one analogous to Rayleigh instability, and grain boundary grooving in polycrystalline films. These models however are not necessarily appropriate to explain for the agglomeration in the sub-nanometer amorphous Ru layers in Ru/C multilayers. The Ru-C phase diagram shows a wide miscible gap, which indicates the preference of phase separation between these two materials and provides an additional driving force for agglomeration. In this paper, we study the evolution of the microstructures and layered structure via in-situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and attempt to determine the order of occurence of agglomeration and crystallization in the Ru layers by observing the diffraction patterns.


Author(s):  
S. Hagège ◽  
U. Dahmen ◽  
E. Johnson ◽  
A. Johansen ◽  
V.S. Tuboltsev

Small particles of a low-melting phase embedded in a solid matrix with a higher melting point offer the possibility of studying the mechanisms of melting and solidification directly by in-situ observation in a transmission electron microscope. Previous studies of Pb, Cd and other low-melting inclusions embedded in an Al matrix have shown well-defined orientation relationships, strongly faceted shapes, and an unusual size-dependent superheating before melting.[e.g. 1,2].In the present study we have examined the shapes and thermal behavior of eutectic Pb-Cd inclusions in Al. Pb and Cd form a simple eutectic system with each other, but both elements are insoluble in solid Al. Ternary alloys of Al (Pb,Cd) were prepared from high purity elements by melt spinning or by sequential ion implantation of the two alloying additions to achieve a total alloying addition of up to lat%. TEM observations were made using a heating stage in a 200kV electron microscope equipped with a video system for recording dynamic behavior.


Author(s):  
M. Park ◽  
S.J. Krause ◽  
S.R. Wilson

Cu alloying in Al interconnection lines on semiconductor chips improves their resistance to electromigration and hillock growth. Excess Cu in Al can result in the formation of Cu-rich Al2Cu (θ) precipitates. These precipitates can significantly increase corrosion susceptibility due to the galvanic action between the θ-phase and the adjacent Cu-depleted matrix. The size and distribution of the θ-phase are also closely related to the film susceptibility to electromigration voiding. Thus, an important issue is the precipitation phenomena which occur during thermal device processing steps. In bulk alloys, it was found that the θ precipitates can grow via the grain boundary “collector plate mechanism” at rates far greater than allowed by volume diffusion. In a thin film, however, one might expect that the growth rate of a θ precipitate might be altered by interfacial diffusion. In this work, we report on the growth (lengthening) kinetics of the θ-phase in Al-Cu thin films as examined by in-situ isothermal aging in transmission electron microscopy (TEM).


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3727
Author(s):  
Huanhuan He ◽  
Zhiwei Lin ◽  
Shengming Jiang ◽  
Xiaotian Hu ◽  
Jian Zhang ◽  
...  

The FeCoNiCrTi0.2 high-entropy alloys fabricated by vacuum arc melting method, and the annealed pristine material, are face centered cubic structures with coherent γ’ precipitation. Samples were irradiated with 50 keV He+ ions to a fluence of 2 × 1016 ions/cm2 at 723 K, and an in situ annealing experiment was carried out to monitor the evolution of helium bubbles during heating to 823 and 923 K. The pristine structure of FeCoNiCrTi0.2 samples and the evolution of helium bubbles during in situ annealing were both characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The annealing temperature and annealing time affect the process of helium bubbles evolution and formation. Meanwhile, the grain boundaries act as sinks to accumulate helium bubbles. However, the precipitation phase seems have few effects on the helium bubble evolution, which may be due to the coherent interface and same structure of γ’ precipitation and matrix.


1998 ◽  
Vol 554 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Horton ◽  
J. L. Wright ◽  
J. H. Schneibel

AbstractThe fracture behavior of a Zr-based bulk amorphous alloy, Zr-10 Al-5 Ti-17.9 Cu-14.6Ni (at.%), was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffraction forany evidence of crystallization preceding crack propagation. No evidence for crystallizationwas found in shear bands in compression specimens or at the fracture surface in tensile specimens.In- situ TEM deformation experiments were performed to more closely examine actualcrack tip regions. During the in-situ deformation experiment, controlled crack growth occurredto the point where the specimen was approximately 20 μm thick at which point uncontrolledcrack growth occurred. No evidence of any crystallization was found at the crack tips or thecrack flanks. Subsequent scanning microscope examination showed that the uncontrolledcrack growth region exhibited ridges and veins that appeared to have resulted from melting. Performing the deformations, both bulk and in-situ TEM, at liquid nitrogen temperatures (LN2) resulted in an increase in the amount of controlled crack growth. The surface roughness of the bulk regions fractured at LN2 temperatures corresponded with the roughness of the crack propagation observed during the in-situ TEM experiment, suggesting that the smooth-appearing room temperature fracture surfaces may also be a result of localized melting.


1991 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toyohiko J. Konno ◽  
Robert Sinclair

ABSTRACTThe crystallization of sputter-deposited Si/Al amorphous alloys was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In-situ high-resolution TEM reveals the existence of an Al layer between the amorphous matrix and the growing crystalline phase. The activation energy for the growth is about 1.2eV, roughly corresponding to the activation energy of Si diffusion in Al. These two observations support the view that a crystallization mechanism, in which an Al buffer layer provides the shortest reaction path, is responsible for the reaction. The product microstructure exhibits secondary crystallization at a higher temperature.


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