Raman microspectroscopy of nanocrystalline and amorphous phases in hardness indentations

During hardness indentation, materials are subjected to highly l highly localized stresses. These stresses not only cause crack formation and plastic deformation by dislocation gliding, but a complete change of the crystal structure and formation of amorphous phases or high-pressure polymorphs can occur in the zone of maximum contact stresses. Such contact-induced phase transformations were observed in hard and brittle materials including semiconductors (Si, Ge, GaAs and InSb) and common ceramic materials such as SiC and SiO2 (α-quartz and silica glass). A prime tool for their investigation is the Raman microspectroscopy of hardness indentations. In Si and Ge, there is an initial transformation to metallic high-pressure phases upon hardness indentation and a subsequent formation of crystalline, nanocrystalline, or amorphous phases depending on the conditions of the hardness test, in particular the unloading rate. A phase transformation occurs also in InSb, whereas the results for GaAs do not give sufficient evidence for phase transformations. Indentation-induced amorphization has been observed in SiC and quartz. Even diamond has been shown to undergo amorphization and phase transformation under nonhydrostatic stress conditions imposed by indentation tests. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.