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The Geometry of Grain Disappearance in Thin Polycrystalline Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

S. J. Townsend  and
C. S. Nichols
S. J. Townsend
Affiliation:
Departments of Physics,
C. S. Nichols
Affiliation:
Materials Science and EngineeringCornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
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Abstract

During grain growth, shrinking columnar grains in thin-film polycrystalline microstructures eventually reach sizes comparable to the film thickness. Due to surface drag, the sides of such grains may bow inward rather than remaining fiat through the bulk of the film. The grain boundaries delimiting such small shrinking grains may become unstable long before the surface of the shrinking grain reaches zero area. We report simulation results demonstrating such an instability in the limit of infinite surface drag. This may lead to extremely rapid disappearance of 4- or 5- sided grains, such as have been recently observed in in situ hot-stage TEM experiments on aluminum thin film polycrystals.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 343: Symposium H – Polycrystalline Thin Films - Structure, Texture, Properties and Applications , 1994 , 43
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1994

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References

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