Shedding new light on the dislocation-mediated plasticity in wurtzite ZnO single crystals by photoindentation

Abstract

Dislocation-mediated plasticity in inorganic semiconductors and oxides has attracted increasing research interest because of the promising mechanical and functional properties tuned by dislocations. In this study, we investigated the effects of light illumination on the dislocation-mediated plasticity in hexagonal wurtzite ZnO, a representative third-generation semiconductor material. A (0001) 45o off sample was specially designed to preferentially activate the basal slip on (0001) plane. Three types of nanoindentation tests were performed under four different light conditions (550 nm, 334 nm, 405 nm, and darkness), including low-load (60 μN) pop-in tests, high-load (500 μN) nanoindentation tests, and nanoindentation creep tests. The maximum shear stresses at pop-in were found to approximate the theoretical shear strength regardless of the light conditions. The activation volume at pop-ins was calculated to be larger in light than in darkness. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscope images taken from beneath the indentation imprints showed that all indentation-induced dislocations were located beneath the indentation imprint in a thin-plate shape along one basal slip plane. These indentation-induced dislocations could spread much deeper in darkness than in light, revealing the suppressive effect of light on dislocation behavior. An analytical model was adopted to estimate the elastoplastic stress field beneath the indenter. It was found that dislocation glide ceased at a higher stress level in light, indicating the increase in the Peierls barrier under light illumination. Furthermore, nanoindentation creep tests showed the suppression of both indentation depth and creep rate by light. Nanoindentation creep also yielded a larger activation volume in light than in darkness.