Abstract
Nanoindentation-induced phase transformations in both crystalline silicon (c-Si) (100) and ion-implanted amorphous silicon have been studied at temperatures up to 200 °C. The region under the indenter undergoes rapid volume expansion at temperatures above 125 °C during unloading, which is indicated by “bowing” behavior in the load-displacement curve. Polycrystalline Si-I is the predominant end phase for indentation in crystalline silicon whereas high-pressure Si-III/Si-XII phases are the result of indentation in amorphous silicon. We suggest that the Si-II phase is unstable in ac-Si matrix at elevated temperatures and can directly transform to Si-I during the early stages of unloading.
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Acknowledgment
This work has been funded by the Australian Research Council. JEB is the grateful recipient of an Australian Research Council QEII award. The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of David Munoz-Paniagua with the hot-stage design.
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Bhuyan, S.K., Bradby, J.E., Ruffell, S. et al. Phase stability of silicon during indentation at elevated temperature: evidence for a direct transformation from metallic Si-II to diamond cubic Si-I. MRS Communications 2, 9–12 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2011.24
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2011.24