Nondislocation origin of GaAs nanoindentation pop-in event

Unusual Deformation and Fracture in Gallium Telluride Multilayers

The deformation and fracture mechanism of two-dimensional (2D) materials are still unclear and not thoroughly investigated. Given this, mechanical properties and mechanisms are explored on example of gallium telluride (GaTe), a promising 2D semiconductor with an ultrahigh photoresponsivity and a high flexibility. Hereby, the mechanical properties of both substrate-supported and suspended GaTe multilayers were investigated through Berkovich-tip nanoindentation instead of the commonly used AFM-based nanoindentation method. An unusual concurrence of multiple pop-in and load-drop events in loading curve was observed. Theoretical calculations unveiled this concurrence originating from the interlayer-sliding mediated layers-by-layers fracture mechanism in GaTe multilayers. The van der Waals force dominated interlayer interactions between GaTe and substrates was revealed much stronger than that between GaTe interlayers, resulting in the easy sliding and fracture of multilayers within GaTe. This work introduces new insights into the deformation and fracture of GaTe and other 2D materials in flexible electronics applications.

Room-Temperature Plasticity of a Nanosized GaN Crystal

GaN wurtzite crystal is commonly regarded as eminently brittle. However, our research demonstrates that nanodeconfined GaN compressed along the M direction begins to exhibit room-temperature plasticity, yielding a dislocation-free structure despite the occurrence of considerable, irreversible deformation. Our interest in M-oriented, strained GaN nanoobjects was sparked by the results of first-principles bandgap calculations, whereas subsequent nanomechanical tests and ultrahigh-voltage (1250 kV) transmission electron microscopy observations confirmed the authenticity of the phenomenon. Moreover, identical experiments along the C direction produced only a quasi-brittle response. Precisely how this happens is demonstrated by molecular dynamics simulations of the deformation of the C- and M-oriented GaN frustum, which mirror our nanopillar crystals.

On Incipient Plasticity of InP Crystal: A Molecular Dynamics Study

With classical molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrated that doping of the InP crystal with Zn and S atoms reduces the pressure of the B3→B1 phase transformation as well as inhibits the development of a dislocation structure. On this basis, we propose a method for determining the phenomenon that initiates nanoscale plasticity in semiconductors. When applied to the outcomes of nanoindentation experiments, it predicts the dislocation origin of the elastic-plastic transition in InP crystal and the phase transformation origin of GaAs incipient plasticity.

Origin of Nanoscale Incipient Plasticity in GaAs and InP Crystal

In this article, we exhibit the influence of doping on nanoindentation-induced incipient plasticity in GaAs and InP crystals. Nanoindentation experiments carried out on a GaAs crystal show a reduction in contact pressure at the beginning of the plastic deformation caused by an increase in Si doping. Given that the substitutional Si defects cause a decrease in the pressure of the GaAs-I → GaAs-II phase transformation, we concluded that the elastic–plastic transition in GaAs is a phase-change-driven phenomenon. In contrast, Zn- and S-doping of InP crystals cause an increase in contact pressure at the elastic–plastic transition, revealing its dislocation origin. Our mechanical measurements were supplemented by nanoECR experiments, which showed a significant difference in the flow of the electrical current at the onset of plastic deformation of the semiconductors under consideration.

Pop-in behavior and elastic-to-plastic transition of polycrystalline pure iron during sharp nanoindentation

This study analyzes the elastic-to-plastic transition during nanoindentation of polycrystalline iron. We conduct nanoindentation (Berkovich indenter) experiments and electron backscatter diffraction analysis to investigate the initiation of plasticity by the appearance of the pop-in phenomenon in the loading curves. Numerous load–displacement curves are statistically analyzed to identify the occurrence of pop-ins. A first pop-in can result from plasticity initiation caused by homogeneous dislocation nucleation and requires shear stresses in the range of the theoretical strength of a defect-free iron crystal. The results also show that plasticity initiation in volumes with preexisting dislocations is significantly affected by small amounts of interstitially dissolved atoms (such as carbon) that are segregated into the stress fields of dislocations, impeding their mobility. Another strong influence on the pop-in behavior is grain boundaries, which can lead to large pop-ins at relatively high indentation loads. The pop-in behavior appears to be a statistical process affected by interstitial atoms, dislocation density, grain boundaries, and surface roughness. No effect of the crystallographic orientation on the pop-in behavior can be observed.

Effect of nanoparticle size on the mechanical properties of nanoparticle assemblies

Nanoparticle assemblies (NPAs) have attracted tremendous interests of various research communities. The particle-size-effect on mechanical properties of NPAs is systematically studied. With decreasing the particle size d from 300 nm to 10 nm, the SiO2 NPAs become drastically harder (∼39×), stiffer (∼15×), and tougher (>3.5×). The results are consistent with the data scattered in the literature for various nanoparticle (NP) systems, indicating a fundamentally universal d-effect for all NPAs. A model is developed to correlate the hardness and the NP junction (NPJ) strength f. Here, f is mainly due to van der Waals and capillary interactions, roughly a constant (140 nN) for d = 100-300 nm, and then f decreases with decreasing d from ∼100 nm. The deformation mechanism of NPAs (for indentation depth ≫d) is shear plasticity involving shear breaking of NPJs. The fundamental mechanism for the d-effect is that, with decreasing d, the NPJ's planar density increases much faster than the decrease of f. Moreover, three deformation mechanisms of NPAs, (1) nanoparticle dislodging, (2) shear-band formation, and (3) cracking are naturally d-dependent. These new findings can provide important insights into the fundamental understanding of the inter-NP interaction, the mechanical behavior of the NPAs, and the design of robust NP-based devices.

Study of Nanoscratching Process of GaAs Using Molecular Dynamics

In this paper, molecular dynamics method was employed to investigate the nanoscratching process of gallium arsenide (GaAs) in order to gain insights into the material deformation and removal mechanisms in chemical mechanical polishing of GaAs. By analyzing the distribution of hydrostatic pressure and coordination number of GaAs atoms, it was found that phase transformation and amorphization were the dominant deformation mechanisms of GaAs in the scratching process. Furthermore, anisotropic effect in nanoscratching of GaAs was observed. The diverse deformation behaviors of GaAs with different crystal orientations were due to differences in the atomic structure of GaAs. The scratching resistance of GaAs(001) surface was the biggest, while the friction coefficient of GaAs(111) surface was the smallest. These findings shed light on the mechanical wear mechanism in chemical mechanical polishing of GaAs.

Atomistic simulation of the measurement of mechanical properties of gold nanorods by AFM

Mechanical properties of nanoscale objects can be measured with an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip. However, the continuum models typically used to relate the force measured at a certain indentation depth to quantities such as the elastic modulus, may not be valid at such small scales, where the details of atomistic processes need to be taken into account. On the other hand, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of nanoindentation, which can offer understanding at an atomistic level, are often performed on systems much smaller than the ones studied experimentally. Here, we present large scale MD simulations of the nanoindentation of single crystal and penta-twinned gold nanorod samples on a silicon substrate, with a spherical diamond AFM tip apex. Both the sample and tip sizes and geometries match commercially available products, potentially linking simulation and experiment. Different deformation mechanisms, involving the creation, migration and annihilation of dislocations are observed depending on the nanorod crystallographic structure and orientation. Using the Oliver-Pharr method, the Young’s moduli of the (100) terminated and (110) terminated single crystal nanorods, and the penta-twinned nanorod, have been determined to be 103 ± 2, 140 ± 4 and 108 ± 2 GPa, respectively, which is in good agreement with bending experiments performed on nanowires.

Origin of a Nanoindentation Pop-in Event in Silicon Crystal

The Letter concerns surface nanodeformation of Si crystal using atomistic simulation. Our results account for both the occurrence and absence of pop-in events during nanoindentation. We have identified two distinct processes responsible for indentation deformation based on load-depth response, stress-induced evolution of crystalline structure and surface profile. The first, resulting in a pop-in, consists of the extrusion of the crystalline high pressure Si-III/XII phase, while the second, without a pop-in, relies on a flow of amorphized Si to the crystal surface. Of particular interest to silicon technology will be our clarification of the interplay among amorphization, crystal-to-crystal transition, and extrusion of transformed material to the surface.

Deconfinement leads to changes in the nanoscale plasticity of silicon

Silicon crystals have an important role in the electronics industry, and silicon nanoparticles have applications in areas such as nanoelectromechanical systems, photonics and biotechnology. However, the elastic-plastic transition observed in silicon is not fully understood; in particular, it is not known if the plasticity of silicon is determined by dislocations or by transformations between phases. Here, based on compression experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the mechanical properties of bulk silicon and silicon nanoparticles are significantly different. We find that bulk silicon exists in a state of relative constraint, with its plasticity dominated by phase transformations, whereas silicon nanoparticles are less constrained and display dislocation-driven plasticity. This transition, which we call deconfinement, can also explain the absence of phase transformations in deformed silicon nanowedges. Furthermore, the phenomenon is in agreement with effects observed in shape-memory alloy nanopillars, and provides insight into the origin of incipient plasticity.

An electric current spike linked to nanoscale plasticity

The increase in semiconductor conductivity that occurs when a hard indenter is pressed into its surface has been recognized for years, and nanoindentation experiments have provided numerous insights into the mechanical properties of materials. In particular, such experiments have revealed so called pop-in events, where the indenter suddenly enters deeper into the material without any additional force being applied; these mark the onset of the elastic-plastic transition. Here, we report the observation of a current spike--a sharp increase in electrical current followed by immediate decay to zero at the end of the elastic deformation--during the nanoscale deformation of gallium arsenide. Such a spike has not been seen in previous nanoindentation experiments on semiconductors, and our results, supported by ab initio calculations, suggest a common origin for the electrical and mechanical responses of nanodeformed gallium arsenide. This leads us to the conclusion that a phase transition is the fundamental cause of nanoscale plasticity in gallium arsenide, and the discovery calls for a revision of the current dislocation-based understanding of nanoscale plasticity.