Deformation Microstructure in (001) Single Crystal Strontium Titanate by Vickers Indentation

Abstract

Recent interests on the plastic deformation of strontium titanate (SrTiO 3 ) are derived from its unusual ductile‐to‐brittle‐to‐ductile transition (DBDT). The transition is divided into three regimes (A, B, and C) corresponding to the temperature range of 113–1053 K (−160° to 780°C), 1053 to ∼1503 K (780° to ∼1230°C), and ∼1503–1873 K (∼1230° to 1600°C), discovered by Sigle and colleagues in the MPI‐Stuttgart. We report the dislocation substructures in (001) single crystal SrTiO 3 deformed by Vickers indentation at room temperature, studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Dislocation dipoles of screw and edge character are observed and confirmed by inside–outside contrast using ±g‐vector by weak‐beam dark field imaging. They are formed by edge trapping, jog dragging, and cross slip pinching‐off. Similar to dipole breaking off in deformed sapphire (α‐Al 2 O 3 ) at 1200°C and γ‐TiAl intermetallic at room temperature, the dipoles pinch off at one end, and emit a string of loops at trail. Two sets of slip systems {110}〈 〉 and {100}〈011〉 are activated under both 100 g and 1 kg load. The suggestion is that plastic deformation has reached the stage II work hardening, which is characterized by multiplication of dislocations through cross slip, interactions between dislocations, and operating of multiple slip systems.