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Atomic-Scale Analysis Of Plastic Deformation In Thin-Film Forms Of Electronic Materials, Kedarnath Kolluri

Open Access Dissertations

Nanometer-scale-thick films of metals and semiconductor heterostructures are used increasingly in modern technologies, from microelectronics to various areas of nanofabrication. Processing of such ultrathin-film materials generates structural defects, including voids and cracks, and may induce structural transformations. Furthermore, the mechanical behavior of these small-volume structures is very different from that of bulk materials. Improvement of the reliability, functionality, and performance of nano-scale devices requires a fundamental understanding of the atomistic mechanisms that govern the thin-film response to mechanical loading in order to establish links between the films' structural evolution and their mechanical behavior. Toward this end, a significant part of …