Weak-beam dark-field images of dislocations interacting with particles acquired over a large angular range were used to reconstruct tomograms, which were then used as the basis to construct a three-dimensional (3D) model of the dislocation structure. These capabilities facilitate viewing the dislocation structure from different directions, recovering the information lost in the electron beam direction. Coupling these capabilities and a method to include the specimen coordinate system within them with conventional dislocation analysis enables a full characterization of the dislocation microstructure in three dimensions. This approach is used to understand the 3D nature of the interaction of dislocations and a twist boundary with Al3Sc particles in an Al–Mg–Sc alloy.

The effects of ion irradiation damage on dislocation generation and propagation in austenitic stainless steels were studied by means of in situ transmission electron microscopy and electron tomography. Tensile samples were irradiated in situ to a dose on the order of 1017 ions/m2 with 1MeV Kr+ and strained at 300 K as well as 673 K. Dislocation motion through the irradiation-obstacle field was jerky and discontinuous, dislocation pile-ups formed in grain interiors and at boundaries, long straight dislocations were generated decorating the channel-matrix walls, and dislocation cross-slip within the channel created debris along the channel leading to channel widening. Electron tomography was applied for the first time to reveal new detail about the dislocation reactions in the channel wall.

This study provides an introduction to, and overview of, several papers that resulted from a randomized control trial that evaluated a new cognitive rehabilitation protocol. The program was designed to improve general strategic abilities in ways that would be expressed in a broad range of functional domains. The trial, which was conducted on a sample of older adults who had experienced normal age-related cognitive decline, assessed performance in the following domains: memory, goal management, and psychosocial status. The general rationale for the trial, the overall experimental design, and the approach to statistical analyses that are relevant to each paper are described here. The results for each functional domain are reported in separate papers in this series (JINS, 2007, 13, 120–131.)

This study provides an overview of the papers emanating from the experimental trial that evaluated a new cognitive rehabilitation program in older adults who were experiencing normal cognitive decline. The main features of the design are summarized, along with evidence that the training produced long-lasting improvement in memory performance, goal management, and psychosocial status. The benefits were attributed to several factors, including the program's emphasis on techniques that promoted efficient strategic processing. Limitations of the program and directions for future research are discussed (JINS, 2007, 13, 166–171.)

A unique straining device, fabricated using microlithographic techniques, has been developed to permit real-time investigation in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) of the deformation and failure mechanisms in ultrafine-grained aluminum. The tensile specimen is a freestanding thin film with a columnar microstructure that has a uniform cross-section (100 × 0.125 μm) and a gauge length of 300 μm. In situ TEM straining experiments show the fracture mode is intergranular with no accompanying general plasticity. Propagating cracks were halted at large grains, and crack blunting occurred through grain-boundary-mediated processes. The blunting process was accompanied by dislocation emission and deformation twinning in the grain responsible for arresting the crack. Voids or microcracks nucleated and grew on grain boundaries ahead of the arrested crack, and crack advance occurred through linkage of the microcracks and the primary crack.

The fundamental processes controlling the high-temperature interaction of dislocations with precipitates in Al-alloys were investigated in real time by deforming specimens in situ in the transmission electron microscope at elevated temperature. The observations support a bypass mechanism involving the interaction of lattice dislocations with the precipitate–matrix interface dislocations, where the rate-limiting step in the interaction is the release of the dislocation from the particle. These observations are discussed in relation to high-temperature deformation processes and models.

We have designed and fabricated a standardized specimen holder that allows the operation of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device inside a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The details of the design and fabrication processes of the holder are presented. The sample loading mechanism is simple and allows reliable electrical contact to eight signal lines on the device. Using a MEMS-based, nanojoule calorimeter, we performed rapid-heating experiments on Bi nanoparticles to demonstrate the functionality of the holder. We show that the heat capacity can be measured simultaneously with TEM observations. The size-dependent melting of Bi nanoparticles was observed simultaneously by nanocalorimetry and selected area diffraction measurements. We believe this approach will open up new experimental pathways to researchers, combining the speed and resolution of transmission electron microscopy with the flexibility, precision, and compactness of MEMS-based sensors and actuators.

In situ straining in the transmission electron microscope has been combined with molecular dynamics computer simulations to investigate the nature of the interaction of glissile dislocations with radiation-produced defects (loops, stacking-fault tetrahedra, and He bubbles), and to determine the mechanisms by which the dislocation loops and stacking-fault tetrahedra are annihilated and defect-free channels are created. The defect pinning strength depends on the defect and on the interaction geometry. The experiments and simulations show that a single interaction is not always sufficient to annihilate a dislocation loop or a stacking-fault tetrahedra and that the nature of the defect may be changed because of the interaction. The edge/screw character of the dislocation is also important as they have different efficiencies for annihilating a defect. The dislocations responsible for creating the defect-free channels are not the preexisting dislocations but originate from grain boundaries and other stress concentrators. Cross-slip of dislocations within the channels is important for clearing and widening the channel and can create new channels. Based on these observations a dispersed-barrier hardening model in which the influence of the radiation defects and dislocation density are combined. The resulting model predicts the observed behavior, including the apparent yield drop at high defect densities.

An Al-4Mg-0.3Sc alloy, aged at 280°C for 8 hours and cold rolled to a 70% reduction, exhibited dynamic recrystallization during superplastic forming at 460°C and at a strain rate of 10−3sec−1. To understand the progression of recrystallization during forming, specimens were deformed under these same conditions to 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 true strain and studied postmortem using optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and orientation imaging microscopy. The microstructural evolution that occurred between each strain state was directly observed during deformation experiments at a nominal temperature of 460°C in the transmission electron microscope. These in-situ experiments showed the migration, coalescence, disintegration and annihilation of subboundaries. This combination of post-mortem analysis of specimens strained in bulk with real time observations made during these in-situ experiments allows the mechanisms operating during dynamic continuous recrystallization to be ascertained.

Partially embedded copper clusters within a polyimide substrate have been utilized to act as “nano‐nails” to anchor the bulk metal overlayer to the underlying polyimide substrate resulting in increased adhesion between the metal and substrate. Isolated nano‐sized copper clusters can be formed on a polyimide surface under UHV conditions using very slow deposition rates and temperatures that are high enough to induce mobility of copper atoms on the polyimide surface. Because copper has a high surface energy with respect to the copper/polyimide interface and the polymer surface, the copper clusters exert an embedding force on the polyimide substrate. These clusters can be made to embed in the polymer by annealing in vacuum at temperatures close to the glass transition temperature of the polymer. By regulating the time and temperature of post‐deposition anneals, the degree of embedding of the copper clusters can be controlled. Cross‐sectional TEM results will illustrate the various degrees of cluster embedding, while adhesion testing results will be presented to show the improved adhesion obtained from these interfaces.

Effects of thermal cycling in a reducing (deuterium) atmosphere on the structure and chemistry of Cr/Cu/Cr/polyimide (PI)/Si and Au/Cu/Ti/polyimide (PI)/Si multilayer systems have been studied. In the Cr/PI system the interface between the Cr and PI was sharp and distinct in the as-deposited state, and after the anneal in the reducing atmosphere. Tensile cracks through the Cr/Cu/Cr layers were found after annealing and are the result of thermal stresses. No evidence for significant diffusion of Cr into the PI was found. In the Ti/PI system, the interface between the Ti and PI was sharp in the as-deposited state. After annealing in vacuum and in the reducing environment, regions of the interface between the Ti layer and the PI were converted to an oxide, Ti5O9. Annealing in the deuterium environment also caused delamination of the Ti film from the PI and blistering of the metal in the sample interior. No significant diffusion of the Ti into the PI was detected. In both systems, the metal in contact with the PI acted as a barrier to the diffusion of Cu into the PI.

The thermal spike phase of a displacement cascade is thought to be of fundamental importance to a number of issues in radiation effects. For example, the formation of stable vacancy clusters and the efficiency of ion mixing are thought to be directly controlled by the duration of the liquid-like state during the thermal spike. A number of factors have been proposed to be of significance to the lifetime of the thermal spike. For example, materials which have a high melting temperature, or which exhibit strong electron-phonon coupling, which provides an efficient method of energy transport to the surrounding material, are expected to have short lifetimes. We have examined these factors in detail and demonstrated that, in both elemental metals and alloys, electron-phonon coupling provides the most consistent explanation for variations in the thermal spike lifetime and, hence, the efficiency of ion mixing and the number of stable vacancy defect clusters formed.

The non-uniform distribution of damage with depth and the onset of amorphization produced in Al0.6Ga0.4As/GaAs heterostructures by 1.5 MeV Kr+ ion implantation at 77K have been investigated by using a combination of RBS channeling and cross-sectional high-resolution TEM techniques. The extent of damage increases with increasing depth in the Al0.6Ga0.4As layer. This depth dependence of the damage can be correlated with an increase in the number of recoil events with an energy between 30 and 50 keV. We propose that the amorphization of Al0.6Ga0.4As requires the superposition of cascade-type damage on a background population of point defects which is created by implantation with high energy ions.

The damage (disordered zones and vacancy loops) produced in the ordered alloy Ni3AI by irradiation with different ions (Ar+, Kr+, Xe+), ion energies (30 and 50 keV), and at 30 and 300 K has been investigated by using transmission electron microscopy. At room temperature and at constant ion energy, the average size of the disordered zones increases as the ion mass increases from Ar+ to Kr+and to Xe+ ions. This trend is opposite to that of the collisional volume which decreases with increasing ion mass and highlights the importance of the thermal spike in causing disorder. At room temperature and at constant ion mass, the zone size increases with increasing ion energy. At 30K, for the same ion mass and ion energy, the size of the disordered zones is smaller than at room temperature. At both irradiation temperatures, the dislocation loop yield increases with increasing ion energy and ion mass. The loop yield was lower for irradiations at 30K compared to at 300 K. Comparison of the dislocation loop yield and the size of the disordered zones indicates that the probability for forming a loop increases with the size of the disordered zone.

Titanium hydrides having two different crystal structures were observed in α–Ti thin films grown epitaxially on sapphire substrates by e-beam physical vapor deposition. One of the hydrides (γ-hydride) had a face-centered tetragonal structure (c/a > 1) with an ordered arrangement of hydrogen atoms. The second hydride formed was the fcc δ-hydride. The γ-hydride grew as platelets in the α–Ti lattice with {10$\overline 1$0}Ti habit planes, whereas the γ-hydrides formed directly on the sapphire substrate parallel to the (0001)Ti. These hydrides are one of the principal causes of film decohesion.

The development of the damage structure produced in (100) GaAs/Al0.6Ga0.4As/GaAs by 1 MeV Kr+ ion irradiation at 77 and 293 K has been investigated by RBS channeling and cross-sectional high-resolution TEM techniques. Following an implantation to a dose of 1014 ions cm-2 at 77 K, RBS channeling spectra indicate that the Al0.6Ga0.4 layer contained a high defect density and was possibly amorphous. Warming to room temperature resulted in a change in the channeling spectrum, which indicated that the damage in the Al0.6Ga0.4As layer had partially recovered. The degree of recovery was greatest at the GaAs/ Al0.6Ga0.4As interface, and decreased with increasing depth. TEM observations show the damage in the Al0.6Ga0.4As to be comprised of planar defects, the density of which increases with depth, and an amorphous layer at the bottom interface. This difference in the damage distribution is consistent with the asymmetry in the channeling spectrum. A model based on the depth variation of cascade density is proposed to account for the observations.

Information on the mechanisms of slip transfer across grain boundaries in an HCP α-Ti alloy has been obtained from deformation experiments performed In situ in the transmission electron microscope. Initially, lattice dislocations are accommodated within the grain boundary until a critical local dislocation density is reached. The boundary then responds by activating slip in the adjoining grain on the slip system experiencing the highest local resolved shear stress and producing the residual grain-boundary dislocation with the smallest Burgers vector. Slip on secondary slip systems may be initiated provided they reduce the magnitude of the Burgers vector of, or eliminate, the residual grainboundary dislocation. The selection rules used to predict the slip system activated by the grain boundary are the same as apply in ordered and disordered FCC materials.

The distribution and chemistry of hydrides produced in single and dual phase alloys with a composition near TiAl have been investigated by using a combination of TEM and x-ray diffraction techniques. The alloys were exposed at 650 °C to 13.8 MPa of gaseous H2 for 100 h. In the single-phase gamma alloy, large hydrides preferentially nucleated on the grain boundaries and matrix dislocations and a population of small hydrides was distributed throughout the matrix. X-ray and electron diffraction patterns from these hydrides indicated that they have an fcc structure with a lattice parameter of 0.45 nm. EDAX analysis of the hydrides showed that they were enriched in Ti. The hydrides were mostly removed by vacuum annealing at 800 °C for 24 h. On dissolution of the hydrides, the chemistry of hydride-free regions of the grain boundary returned to the matrix composition, suggesting that Ti segregation accompanied the hydride formation rather than Ti enrichment causing the formation of the hydride. The hydrogen content in the two-phase (γ-α2) alloy was approximately three times that of the single phase alloy, which was presumably a consequence of the presence of the α2-Ti3Al phase in the two-phase alloy. The hydrides in the two-phase material were shown by x-ray diffraction to have an fcc structure and were removed on annealing in vacuum at 800 °C for 24 h.

This paper describes the effect of the ambient atmosphere (air, vacuum and deuterium) during thermal cycling on chromium/polyimide (Cr/PI) interfaces. Cross-section TEM has been employed to reveal the interface microstructure and morphology. The extent of interdiffusion across the metal/polyimide interface was determined by Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy in the STEM. The nature of the mechanical failure was identified by SEM and the locus of failure determined by Auger Electron Spectroscopy. It was observed that in the Cr/Cu/Cr/PI/Si system, tensile cracks form in the metal layers that originate at the Cr/PI interface after thermal cycling in any of the ambient atmosphere. Also, after annealing, the Cr/PI interface remains sharp, with no significant diffusion of Cr across the interface, irrespective of the ambient atmosphere.

The spontaneous collapse of energetic displacement cascades in metals into vacancy dislocation loops has been investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulation and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Simulations of 5 keV recoil events in Cu and Ni provide the following scenario of cascade collapse: (i) atoms are ejected from the central region of the cascade by replacement collision sequences; (ii) the central region subsequently melts; (iii) vacancies are driven to the center of the cascade during resolidification where they may collapse into loops. Whether or not collapse occurs depends critically on the melting temperature of the metal and the energy density and total energy in the cascade. Results of TEM are presented in support of this mechanism.