Study of the dislocation structure involved in a nanoindentation test by atomic force microscopy and controlled chemical etching

摘要

In this paper, it is shown that combining AEM, chemical etching and controlled polishing, progressively removing thin layers of material, allows a three-dimensional reconstruction of the volume distribution of dislocations about and under nanoindentation imprints. To illustrate the method, results obtained in MgO, a material known for its simple plasticity, have been selected. It is shown, comparing surface deformation and etching pattern, that the entire dislocation distribution associated with small indents can be analysed in terms of individual dislocations, leading to a better under-standing of the elementary mechanisms of plasticity associated with the early stages of indents formation in crystal-line material.