HREM Analysis of ∑3 ﹛112﹜ Tilt Grain Boundaries in Au Bicrystals Observed in < 111 > Projection

Abstract

Grain boundaries in fee metals with low stacking fault energy are known to undergo extended relaxations that can at times lead to a thin layer of a different structure. In Cu, for example, it has been found that ∑3﹛ 112﹜ boundaries relax into a 9R phase [1]. In this work, we have used high resolution electron microscopy to investigate the atomic structure of ∑3 grain boundaries in mazed bicrystal films of Au. Using ﹛111﹜ Ge surfaces as a template, Au bicrystals can be grown in two orientation variants, related to each other by a 60° rotation about the surface normal. As described previously, such films have a strong tendency to facet onto the coherent twin plane parallel to the substrate [2], also known as “double positioning” [3]. If films are made very thin, the likelihood for such in-plane boundaries to lie in the foil decreases, and it becomes possible to observe the atomic structure of edge-on interfaces along <111>.