Dislocation emission at the silicon/silicon nitride interface: A million atom molecular dynamics simulation on parallel computers

Mechanical behavior of the Si(111)/Si3N4(0001) interface is studied using m illion atom molecular dynamics simulations, At a critical value of applied strain parallel to the interface, a crack forms on the silicon nitride surf ace and moves toward the interface. The crack does not propagate into the s ilicon substrate; instead, dislocations are emitted when the crack reaches the interface. The dislocation loop propagates in the ((1) over bar (1) ove r bar 1) plane of the silicon substrate with a speed of 500 (+/-100) m/s. T ime evolution of the dislocation emission and nature of defects is studied.