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Main Authors: Li, Mingqiang, Luo, Kun, Ma, Xiumei, Kumral, Boran, Gao, Peng, Filleter, Tobin, An, Qi, Zou, Yu
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.19189
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author Li, Mingqiang
Luo, Kun
Ma, Xiumei
Kumral, Boran
Gao, Peng
Filleter, Tobin
An, Qi
Zou, Yu
author_facet Li, Mingqiang
Luo, Kun
Ma, Xiumei
Kumral, Boran
Gao, Peng
Filleter, Tobin
An, Qi
Zou, Yu
contents Photo-plasticity in semiconductors, wherein their mechanical properties such as strength, hardness and ductility are influenced by light exposure, has been reported for several decades. Although such phenomena have drawn significant attention for the manufacturability and usage of deformable semiconductor devices, their underlying mechanisms are not well understood due to the lack of direct evidence. Here we provide experimental observation and atomic insights into the reduced mobility of dislocations in zinc sulfide, as a model material, under light. Using photo-nanoindentation and transmission electron microscopy, we observe that dislocations glide shorter distances under light than those in darkness and there are no apparent deformation twins in both conditions. By atomic-scale simulations, we demonstrate that the decreased dislocation mobility is attributed to the increased Peierls stress for dislocation motion and enhanced stress fields around dislocation cores due to photoexcitation. This study improves the understanding of photo-plastic effects in inorganic semiconductors, offering the opportunities for modulating their mechanical properties using light.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_19189
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Direct evidence and atomic-scale mechanisms of reduced dislocation mobility in an inorganic semiconductor under illumination
Li, Mingqiang
Luo, Kun
Ma, Xiumei
Kumral, Boran
Gao, Peng
Filleter, Tobin
An, Qi
Zou, Yu
Materials Science
Computational Physics
Photo-plasticity in semiconductors, wherein their mechanical properties such as strength, hardness and ductility are influenced by light exposure, has been reported for several decades. Although such phenomena have drawn significant attention for the manufacturability and usage of deformable semiconductor devices, their underlying mechanisms are not well understood due to the lack of direct evidence. Here we provide experimental observation and atomic insights into the reduced mobility of dislocations in zinc sulfide, as a model material, under light. Using photo-nanoindentation and transmission electron microscopy, we observe that dislocations glide shorter distances under light than those in darkness and there are no apparent deformation twins in both conditions. By atomic-scale simulations, we demonstrate that the decreased dislocation mobility is attributed to the increased Peierls stress for dislocation motion and enhanced stress fields around dislocation cores due to photoexcitation. This study improves the understanding of photo-plastic effects in inorganic semiconductors, offering the opportunities for modulating their mechanical properties using light.
title Direct evidence and atomic-scale mechanisms of reduced dislocation mobility in an inorganic semiconductor under illumination
topic Materials Science
Computational Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.19189