Incipient Plasticity of Si and GaAs: Review and Perspectives

Despite the remarkable developments in advanced materials, silicon and gallium arsenide remain among the leading semiconductors of our time. Nanomechanical studies of these semiconductor crystals, including nanoindentation-induced structural phase transformations and dislocation generation, remain important for science and technology. Of particular interest are studies on the onset of plasticity. What phenomenon initiates plastic deformation in Si and GaAs during nanoindentation? Through complex experiments and computer simulations, significant progress has been made in answering this question over the past twenty years. Indeed, equipping nanoindentation systems with the ability to record Raman spectra and exploring new interatomic interaction models for classical molecular dynamics have opened up new avenues for studying the non-trivial interplay between structural phase transformations and dislocation activity in semiconductor crystals. The diversity of high-pressure phases, especially silicon, and the largely unexplored sequences of transformations between them continue to inspire new scientific challenges. This article reviews selected works introducing the reader to the fascinating and still open topic of nanoindentation-induced incipient plasticity in silicon and gallium arsenide.