Imperfections in crystals

Defects

Volume
Point defects Line defects Surface defects
defects

Edge
Vacancy defect Grain boundaries
dislocation

Interstitial Screw
Tilt boundaries
defect dislocation

Substitutional Twin boundaries

impurity

Interstitial
impurity

Frenkel defect

Schottky defect
Vacancy defect
 Vacancies are empty spaces created in the
lattice when atoms are missing from its
regular positions.
Lattice site

Void / interstitial site

Interstitial defect
 A self interstitial atom is an extra atom that
has moved into an interstitial void in the
crystal structure.
 Impurity atom
 It is an atom of a different type than the
parent atoms, which has entered into the
lattice of parent crystal structure.

Substitutional impurity atom Interstitial impurity atom

 Frenkel defect occurs when an ion leaves its
original lattice position and occupies an
interstitial position.

 Schottky defect occurs when a pair of cation

and anion leaves their lattice points and
creates vacancies.
Line defects or dislocations
 Lines along which whole rows of atoms in a
crystal are arranged differently.
 The direction and magnitude of such
distortion is expressed in terms of a Burgers
vector (b).
 Two types – edge dislocation and screw
dislocation.
Edge dislocation

Burgers vector or direction of distortion is

perpendicular to the dislocation line (𝑏 ⊥ AB).
Edge dislocation
Edge dislocation

Burgers vector or direction of distortion is

perpendicular to the dislocation line (𝑏 ⊥ AB).
Screw dislocation

Burgers vector or direction of distortion is parallel

to the dislocation line (𝑏 ∥ PS).
Frank-Read Source of Dislocation
 Mechanism explaining the generation of
multiple dislocations in slip planes in crystals
under deformation.
A B

A B

A m n B
Frank-Read Source of Dislocation
 Mechanism explaining the generation of
multiple dislocations in slip planes in crystals
under deformation.

A m n B

P Q
Frank-Read Source of Dislocation
 Mechanism explaining the generation of
multiple dislocations in slip planes in crystals
under deformation.

P Q

P Q
Climb
 Occurs when a complete row of dislocation
atoms of an edge dislocation moves out of its
slip plane to another parallel slip plane just
above or below it.
Climb
 Occurs when a complete row of dislocation
atoms of an edge dislocation moves out of its
slip plane to another parallel slip plane just
above or below it.
Cross slip
 Process by which a screw dislocation moves
from one slip plane to another slip plane.
Jogs and Kinks
Process by which a screw dislocation moves from
one slip plane to another slip plane.
Q
W Z
B
P
C b2
b1
D
A
X Y

S
 Jogs and Kinks
Process by which a screw dislocation moves from
one slip plane to another slip plane.
Q

P
b1
W
Z
b2

X Y
R

S
 Jogs and Kinks
Process by which a screw dislocation moves from
one slip plane to another slip plane.
Q

W
b1 Z
b2

X Y
R

S
 Jogs and Kinks
 Sharp break is called a jog (JJ').

W
J
Z

J’ b2
X
Y
b1 R

S
 Jogs and Kinks
Process by which a screw dislocation moves from
one slip plane to another slip plane.

P
b3
W
Z
b4

X Y
R

S
 Jogs and Kinks
 When the Burgers vector of the intersecting
dislocations are parallel to each other, kinks are
formed on both the dislocation lines.
Q

P
b3
W
Z

b4
X Y
R

S
Forest of dislocation
 Dislocations moving one behind another along
an active slip plane.

Dislocation density
 Number of dislocation lines that move across a
unit cross sectional area.

Surface Defects
 Grain boundaries
 Tilt boundaries
 Twin boundaries
Forest of dislocation
 Dislocations moving one behind another along
an active slip plane.

Dislocation density
 Number of dislocation lines that move across a
unit cross sectional area.

Surface Defects
 Grain boundaries
 Tilt boundaries
 Twin boundaries
Forest of dislocation
 Dislocations moving one behind another along
an active slip plane.

Dislocation density
 Number of dislocation lines that move across a
unit cross sectional area.

Surface Defects
 Grain boundaries
 Tilt boundaries
 Twin boundaries