Comparison of indentation-induced deformation and fracture of several kinds of semiconductor single crystals
几种单晶半导体材料在压痕下的变形与断裂行为比较

Micro-indentation method was used to study deformation and fracture behavior of Si, Ge, GaAs, InP single crystals. In-plane microhardness, critical indentation size and fracture toughness of the 100] oriented crystals were measured to analyze anisotropic mechanical properties of these materials. The results show that under the indentation load, Si and Ge deformed through the formation of shear faults, while the activation of slip systems accommodated the deformation of GaAs and InP. The microhardness, elastic modulus and fracture toughness exhibit anisotropic at different extent. The relationship between crack length and indent size shows that the critical indent size and the linearly-fitted slope of the crack length vs. indent size of Si and Ge single crystals are smaller than that of GaAs and InP. The variations of the critical indent size and the linear slope are consistent with that of the hardness and fracture toughness.