A uniaxial stress apparatus for single-crystal X-ray diffraction on a four-circle diffractometer: application to silicon and diamond

Abstract

An apparatus for applying uniaxial stress to a single-crystal has been constructed. The stress is produced by turning a differential screw and is measured by a strain gauge. The device fits on a goniometer of a four-circle diffractometer and can rotate around all three axes of the goniometer without restrictions. The lattice constants of Si stressed along [111] were measured and compared with ultrasonically measured elastic constants. The internal stress parameter ξ was calculated from changes of the intensity of the 600 reflection: ξ = 0.74 ± 0.04, larger than the value generally accepted (ξ = 0.64 ± 0.04). The implications of this unexpected result are discussed.