a Dislocation Loops in MgO
Dislocation loops having a/2 <110> Burgers vectors on {110} planes introduced by plastic deformation and subsequent annealing of MgO have been studied extensively in the past using transmission electron microscopy.1 Recently it was reported that high temperature electrical conduction for a long period of time (> 100 hours) induced a thermal breakdown2 in MgO crystals. Transmission electron microscope investigation of these samples just before the thermal breakdown, revealed the presence of a type of loop not previously observed in this material with a<100> Burgers vector lying in {100} planes.Figure la-d shows electron micrograph of two of these a<100> type loops for diffraction vectors (ḡ) [200], [020], [220] and [220], These micrographs were taken under kinematical diffraction conditions with the deviation parameter w ∽ 1.0. From stereo microscopy it was determined that the loops labeled α and β lie on (001) and (100) planes respectively.