Processing of a HRTEM image pattern to analyze an edge dislocation

Mechanical behavior of materials at the atomic level has been an area of interest since Cauchy, with his pioneering work in continuum mechanics. Today this interest is still there especially in the materials field where the development of new semiconductor electronic devices and circuits based on silicon carbide that can function in high-temperature, high-power, and/or high-radiation conditions are being made. These advancements allow for better performance and ultimately more capacity. During the growth process of these SiC wafers mechanical defects can occur resulting in a defective component. Without the advances made in electron microscopy and experimental methods in fringe analysis the study of these types of defects would not be possible. This paper presents techniques developed to analyze displacements fields via electron microscopy. Here we come full circle with Volterra’s pioneering work by analyzing strain fields in regions where the crystalline structure is distorted.