Article contents
Atomic Scale Analysis of Planar Defects in Polycrystalline Diamond
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 October 2006
Abstract
Planar defects in a polycrystalline diamond film were studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). In both modes, sub-Ångström resolution was achieved by making use of two aberration-corrected systems; a TEM and a STEM CS-corrected microscope, each operated at 300 kV. For the first time, diamond in 〈110〉 zone-axis orientation was imaged in STEM mode at a resolution that allows for resolving the atomic dumbbells of carbon at a projected interatomic distance of 89 pm. Twin boundaries that show approximately the Σ3 CSL structure reveal at sub-Ångström resolution imperfections; that is, local distortions, which break the symmetry of the ideal Σ3 type twin boundary, are likely present. In addition to these imperfect twin boundaries, voids on the atomic level were observed. It is proposed that both local distortions and small voids enhance the mechanical toughness of the film by locally increasing the critical stress intensity factor.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 12 , Issue 6: Special Issue: Frontiers of Electron Microscopy in Materials Science , December 2006 , pp. 492 - 497
- Copyright
- © 2006 Microscopy Society of America
References
REFERENCES
- 10
- Cited by