Abstract
A case of metal whisker crystal growth has been identified in which axial screw dislocations are demonstrated to perform their expected role. Palladium metal whisker crystals grow at ∼0.02 cm/sec by decomposition of palladium chloride to palladium plus chlorine gas on the tips of whisker crystals while lateral growth is retarded by a thin film of liquid palladium chloride. Dislocations provide growth steps on the whisker tips, and dislocation climb systematically changes the effective growth direction in suitable cases to form helical crystals. Growth occurs in irrational crystallographic directions so that straight crystals have irrational axes and the helices always have <111> axes formed as the growth direction gyrates around it. Cinéphotomicrographic techniques facilitated the growth studies; x-ray diffraction techniques revealed the axial dislocations in situ subsequent to termination of growth (in contrast to most other cases of metal whisker growth).
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