New deformation mechanism of soft-brittle CdZnTe single crystals under nanogrinding

The deformation of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) soft-brittle single crystals under nanogrinding was investigated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. In the damage layer of the ground CZT single crystals, only dislocations and nanocrystals with sizes ranging from 5 to 20 nm were observed. This result is different from those reported on the deformation of other semiconductor materials under high pressure, such as silicon and gallium arsenide, where both amorphous phases and crystallite defects were formed.