Multiscale dislocation dynamics analyses of laser shock peening in silicon single crystals

Although laser shock peening (LSP) has been applied in metals for property enhancement for a long time, its application on brittle materials has not been investigated so far. The present work is the first computational attempt to show that strong dislocation activity can be generated in silicon crystal by a modified LSP process. Multiscale dislocation dynamics plasticity (MDDP) simulations are conducted to predict the dislocation structure and stress/strain distribution in silicon crystal during LSP. In the modified LSP process, dislocation mobility of silicon and shock pressure is sufficiently high to generate and transport dislocation. The relationships between dislocation activities, the laser processing conditions and ablative coating material are systematically investigated. It is found that dislocation density, dislocation multiplication rate, and dislocation microstructure strongly depend on LSP processing conditions. This LSP process can also be applied in other brittle materials.