On the features of dislocation-obstacle interaction in thin films: large-scale atomistic simulation

Large-scale atomistic modelling has demonstrated that the dynamic interactions of dislocations in thin films have a number of remarkable features. A particular example is the interaction between a screw dislocation and a stacking fault tetrahedron (SFT) in Cu, which can be directly compared with in situ observations of quenched or irradiated fcc metals. If the specimen is thin, the dislocation velocity is slow, and the temperature is high enough, a segment of the original SFT can be transported towards the surface via a double cross-slip mechanism and fast glide of an edge dislocation segment formed during the interaction. The mechanisms observed in the simulations provide an explanation for the results of in situ straining experiments and the differences between bulk and thin film experiments.