Structural transformations of stacking fault tetrahedra upon the absorption of point defects

Abstract

Mechanisms of the structural modification of stacking fault tetrahedra (SFTs) upon the absorption of point defects have been studied by the method of molecular dynamics. The sequential absorption of vacancies by a perfect SFT is accompanied by the following transformations: (i) the formation of a step on one of the SFT faces, (ii) a change in the step sign upon reaching the middle of the face, (iii) the formation of an SFT with truncated vertex, and (iv) the formation of the perfect SFT. Upon the absorption of interstitial atoms, the stages of SFT transformation follow the reverse order.