Dislocation dynamics modelling of radiation damage in thin films

Transmission electron microscopy is a key tool for the extraction of information on radiation damage, the understanding of which is critical for materials development for nuclear fusion and fission reactors. Dislocations in TEM samples are subject to strong image forces, owing to the nanometric sample thicknesses, which may introduce artifacts in the damage analysis. Using dislocation dynamics, we elucidate the roles played by dislocation-surface interactions, dislocation-dislocation interactions and self-interactions due to climb for loop types observed in TEM. Comparisons with analytic solutions for a dislocation loop and an edge dislocation in a half-space are included, and the relationship between glide force and loop tilt examined. The parameters for convergence of the zero-traction boundary conditions are obtained, after which the evolution of dislocation structures in a thin film is studied. It is found that three main length scales govern the physical processes: the image force is governed by the distance of the loop from the surface and scales with the film thickness; the glide force is governed by the image stress as well as the loop-loop interaction stress which is in turn governed by the loop spacing L similar to 1/root rho, where rho is the loop density; finally, the climb force depends on the loop size. The three forces compete and their relative magnitudes define the evolution pathway of the dislocation structure.