In situ X-raytopographic studies of the generation and the multiplication processes of dislocations in silicon crystals at elevated temperatures

The generation of dislocations in silicon crystals at elevated temperatures and the processes by which they multiply have been investigated by in situ X-ray topographic observations utilizing a high-power X-ray generator and a PbO vidicon camera. Some dislocation structure was observed to develop through the crystal under stress before macroscopic deformation starts by means of the propagation of Lüders bands. The generation of dislocations from surface flaws and the influence of dissolved oxygen atoms on such a process were studied in detail, and interpretations of the observations are presented. Two mechanisms for the multiplication of dislocations during their motion are proposed on the basis of the observations.