Room-temperature dislocation climb in copper-niobium interfaces

Abstract

Using atomistic simulations, we show that dislocations climb efficiently in metallic copper-niobium interfaces through absorption and emission of vacancies in the dislocation core, as well as an associated counter diffusion of Cu atoms in the interfacial plane. The high efficiency of dislocation climb in the interface is ascribed to the high vacancy concentration of 0.05 in the interfacial plane, the low formation energy of 0.12 e V with respect to removal or insertion of Cu atoms, as well as the low kinetic barrier of 0.10 eV for vacancy migration in the interfacial Cu plane. Dislocation climb in the interface facilitates reactions of interfacial dislocations, and enables interfaces to be in the equilibrium state with respect to concentrations ofpoint defects