Effect of crystal size on diffraction contrast of a screw dislocation

As materials get reduced in size down to the nanoscale it becomes more complex to characterize them. In this regard transmission electron microscopy has been extensively used to better characterize and understand the mechanical behavior of materials at the nanoscale, although there are various contrast mechanisms that can be used in a TEM micrograph. Focusing in particular on diffraction contrast, we know that dislocation lines are interpreted based on how the displacement field of a dislocation in an infinite crystal influences contrast. However, from a practical standpoint most of the samples that are used in microscopy are of a finite size. Thus, it is important to understand the change in contrast of a screw dislocation by taking into account the effect of crystal size. A MATLAB program has been written to simulate contrast in the TEM of a screw dislocation, taking into account the modified displacement fields for finite size crystals. The effect of reducing crystal size and the effect of microscopic parameters, such as the deviation parameter and g.b diffraction conditions have been also analyzed.