The growth of Pd thin films on a 6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) substrate

Pd thin films, grown on Si-rich 6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) substrates, were studied by atomic force microscopy, electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It is concluded that the growth is successful only when all the growth process takes place at room temperature. Under these conditions a very good epitaxial growth of Pd is achieved, despite the large misfit (about 8.6%) between Pd and the substrate and the existence of a semi-amorphous layer between the thin film and the substrate. A large number of twins appear in these films.     

The 60° or 180° twinned Bi-doped PbTe film studied by EBSD

The Bi-doped PbTe film was grown on Si(1 1 1) substrate by using hot wall epitaxy (HWE) technique. The film was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, micro-area X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results indicate that the film is dominated by 〈1 1 1〉 orientation. The film consists of two twinned domains, rotated 60° or 180° around the normal to the film surface. It is speculated that the twinned PbTe film results from the deviated triangular grains. The ratio between the grains with two different orientations will decrease with the increase of the film thickness.     

Twins of YBa2Cu3O7−x and origin of four orientation variants

Abstract

Twins are often visible in YBa₂Cu₃O_7?x samples by X-ray diffraction and electron imaging or diffraction. The origin of four different orientation variants are related here to the 4/mmm to mmm transformation.     

Microstructural characterization and recrystallization kinetics of cold rolled copper

The recrystallization kinetics in pure copper deformed by cold rolling is mainly investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) under non-isothermal conditions. DSC curves show exothermic peaks corresponding to the stored energy released during recrystallization process. Variation of the heating rate and application of different methods allowed us to calculate two kinetic parameters of recrystallization: (i) the activation energy of the process was calculated using three different methods and (ii) the Avrami exponent was estimated using the Matusita method. On other hand, the microstructural evolution during recrystallization and grain growth of cold rolled copper were investigated at a temperature of 450 °C by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD).     

On twinning and domain switching in ferroelectric Pb(Zr1−xTix)O3—part I: twins and domain walls

We study the electromechanical behavior of lead zirconate titanate ferroelectric ceramics (PZT), by means of a three-dimensional continuum model for deformable ferroelectric bodies in their polar phase characterized by spontaneous polarization and strain. Spontaneous polarization and strain organize into a domain structure which minimizes electrostatic and elastic energies and which can be modified by the application of electromechanical loads. Such process, which is called “domain switching”, is associated with electrical and mechanical hysteresis and can be studied as a minimization problem for a functional which reminds the micromagnetic energy of deformable ferromagnetics. In this paper, which is the first of two, we deal with the electromechanical model and related constitutive assumptions, as well as with the analysis of domain structure in PZT. In particular, following the discover of a new monoclinic phase in PZT carried by Noheda and co-workers, we analyze twinning between spontaneous strain at the various phase boundaries and show that both non-generic, non-conventional twins and finely-twinned laminates are possible, and also that the presence of a monoclinic phase may explain PZT exceptional properties.     

Twinning of quasicrystals and related crystals

Electron microscopy and electron diffraction have been employed to bring out the intimate relationship between icosahedral quasicrystal and various types of crystalline phases with emphasis on aluminium transition metal alloys. The relationship between quasicrystal and twinned rational approximant structures will be treated in the context of irrational twinning. The twinned aggregates show an icosahedral like symmetry in electron diffraction patterns. The crystallography of irrational twins has been discussed in terms of various ways of representing a twin relationship in a cubic lattice.     

Fluctuations and some strain related interaction mechanisms in structural phase transitions

Materials which undergo structural phase transitions with bilinear coupling between the spontaneous strain (e ^sp _i ) and the thermodynamic order parameter (Q) of the type λ_i e ^sp _i Q show characteristic fluctuation pattern at T > T _c. Snapshots of such pattern show tweedlike structures with butterfly shaped structure factors. Some experimental fluctuation patterns are reviewed and compared with the theoretical predictions.

At T ≤ T_c , characteristic microstructures often include structural twinning. The relevant energy expressions for order/disorder systems are recalled and their contribution to thermodynamic fluctuations are described. It is anticipated that some of the physical mechanisms may play a role also in improper ferroelastics with coupling of the type λ_i e ^sp _i Q ² _k where Qk is a component of a degenerate order parameter Q = {Qk}.     

Effect of crystalline grain structures on the mechanical properties of twinning-induced plasticity steel

In order to improve the mechanical properties of twinning-induced plasticity steel, the grain morphology was tailored by different solidification technologies combined with deformation and heat treatment processing routes. Three typical grain morphologies, i.e., equiaxed, columnar as well as equiaxed/columnar grains were formed, and their mechanical behaviors were comparatively studied. Among the three materials, the equiaxed grain material exhibited the highest strength but the lowest plasticity. Depending on the grain size, the smaller the grain size, the higher the strength, but the lower the elongation. The columnar grain material possessed the most excellent plasticity but the weakest strength.These properties presented a non-monotonic dependence on the dendrite spacing, and the moderate spacing resulted in the optimum combination of strength and plasticity. The equiaxed/columnar grain coexisted material showed interesting properties, i.e., the strength and plasticity were just between those of single grain-shaped materials. The three materials also presented different strain hardening behaviors particularly in the uniform deformation stage. The equiaxed grain material showed a constant strain hardening rate, while the columnar grain and equiaxed/columnar grain materials showed a progressively increasing rate with increasing the true strain.     

Inversion domains and parallel growth in ammonothermally grown GaN crystals

Macro-defects such as twins, inversion domains, crevices, and columnar growth occasionally appear in ammonothermally grown GaN crystals. Twinning mechanisms and parallel growth are proposed to explain the formation of these defects. As a polar crystal with wurtzite structure, GaN can have several different kinds of twins depending on the polarity arrangement of each individual twin. Inversion domains are formed in one of the twinning mechanisms. Parallel growth is used to explain the formation of pits on the nitrogen face and the columnar growth on the gallium face. Etching in hot H₃PO₄ is used to reveal the polarities and defects of GaN crystals when they are indistinguishable. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscope, and cathodoluminescence are also employed to study these defects. In addition, seed quality, avoidance of macro-defect formation, and impurity effects are also discussed.