Effect of crystallographic orientation on phase transformations during indentation of silicon

In a statistical nanoindentation study using a spherical probe, the effect of crystallographic orientation on the phase transformation of silicon (Si) was investigated. The occurrence and the contact pressures at which events associated with phase transformation occur, for an indentation force range from 20 to 200 mN, were analyzed and compared for the orientations Si(001), Si(110), and Si(111). It was found that plastic deformation combined with phase transformation during loading was initiated at lower forces (contact pressures) for Si(110) and Si(111) than for Si(001). Also, the contact pressure at which the phase transformation occurred during unloading was strongly influenced by the crystallographic orientation, with up to 38% greater values for Si(110) and Si(111) compared to Si(001). Mapping the residual stress field around indentations by confocal Raman microscopy revealed significant differences in the stress pattern for the three orientations.