Electropulse-Driven Dislocation Evolution in Sub-10 nm Metallic Nanocrystals

As critical microelectronic components are scaled down to the sub-10 nm level, they experience extreme current densities that inevitably trigger defect formation and evolution. Understanding dislocation dynamics and electro-induced damage at this particular scale is therefore crucial, as it governs the reliability of next-generation nanodevices. Herein, we investigate the dislocation evolution in Mo and Pt microcrystals upon pulse stimulation. By tracking dislocation generation, motion, and annihilation pulse-by-pulse, we reveal that enhanced electron-lattice interactions induce dislocation nucleation from sites of structural heterogeneity, in the form of dislocation loops. These dislocations experience frequent interaction and annihilation in the subsequent electropulsing process, inducing a periodic variation of dislocation density and contributing to the structural disordering. These findings not only provide insights into the structural degradation of metallic nano-interconnects during service but also have important implications for understanding the electroplasticity in bulk materials.