Imperfections in Solids.ppt

Imperfections in Solids By “crystalline defect” is meant a lattice irregularity having one or more of its dimensions on the order of an atomic diameter. Classification of crystalline imperfections is frequently made according to geometry or dimensionality of the defect, including point defects (those associated with one or two atomic positions), linear (or one-dimensional) defects, as well as interfacial defects, or boundaries, which are two-dimensional. Impurities in solids are also discussed, since impurity atoms may exist as point defects. The simplest of the point defects is a vacancy, or vacant lattice site, one normally occupied from which an atom is missing. All crystalline solids contain vacancies and, in fact, it is not possible to create such a material that is free of these defects. The necessity of the existence of vacancies is explained using principles of thermodynamics; in essence, the presence of vacancies increases the entropy (i.e., the randomness) of the crystal. A self-interstitial(自占间隙缺陷) is an atom from the crystal that is crowded into an interstitial site, a small void space that under ordinary circumstances is not occupied. In metals, a self-interstitial introduces relatively large distortions in the surrounding lattice because the atom is substantially larger than the interstitial position in which it is situated. Consequently, the formation of this defect is not highly probable, and it exists in very small concentrations, which are significantly lower than for vacancies. A pure metal consisting of only one type of atom just isn’t possible; impurity or foreign atoms will always be present, and some will exist as crystalline point defects. In fact, even with relatively sophisticated techniques, it is difficult to refine metals to a purity in excess of 99.9999%. At this level, on the order of 1022 to 1023 impurity atoms will be present in one cubic meter of material. Most familiar metals are not highly pure; rather, they are alloys, in which