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Phase Transformation Dependence on Initial Plastic Deformation Mode in Si via Nanoindentation

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Abstract

Silicon in its diamond-cubic phase is known to phase transform to a technologically interesting mixture of the body-centred cubic and rhombohedral phases under nanoindentation pressure. In this study, we demonstrate that during plastic deformation the sample can traverse two distinct pathways, one that initially nucleates a phase transformation while the other initially nucleates crystalline defects. These two pathways remain distinct even after sufficient pressure is applied such that both deformation mechanisms are present within the sample. It is further shown that the indents that initially nucleate a phase transformation generate larger, more uniform volumes of the phase transformed material than indents that initially nucleate crystalline defects.

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Acknowledgments

This work was performed in part at the ACT node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility, a company established under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy to provide nano and micro-fabrication facilities for Australian researchers. We also thank the ACT node of the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facility for use of the TEM facilities. Funding from the Australian Research Council is gratefully acknowledged. Assoc. Prof Bradby would like to acknowledge the Australian Research Council for a Future Fellowship. Dr. Haberl gratefully acknowledges current funding from an Alvin M. Weinberg Fellowship (ORNL) and the Spallation Neutron Source (ORNL), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. ORNL is funded under DOE-BES contract number, DE-AC05-00OR22725, the SNS is supported by the Scientific User Facilities division, DOE-BES under Contract No.DE-AC05-00OR22725 and the Alvin M. Weinberg Fellowship by the ORNL LDRD scheme under Project No. 7620.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

    S. Wong, J. S. Williams & J. E. Bradby

  2. Chemical and Engineering Materials Division, Neutron Sciences Directorate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37781, USA

    B. Haberl

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  1. S. Wong
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  2. B. Haberl
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  3. J. S. Williams
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  4. J. E. Bradby
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Correspondence to S. Wong.

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Wong, S., Haberl, B., Williams, J.S. et al. Phase Transformation Dependence on Initial Plastic Deformation Mode in Si via Nanoindentation. Exp Mech 57, 1037–1043 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-016-0213-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-016-0213-7

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