Zeitschrift für Kristallographie, Bd. 144, S.

9 7 - 1 0 1 (1976)

The elastic constants of indium single crystals

by diffuse x-ray reflections
B y D . P . SIXHA, S U R E S H C H A N D R A * a n d SALIGRAM SINGH

Physics Department, P a t n a University, P a t n a

(Received 22 May 1975)

Auszug
Die elastischen Konstanten von Indium-Kristallen wurden aus der diffusen
Röntgenstrahlstreuung abgeleitet. Eine Vermessung der diffusen Reflexe mit
dem Mikrodensitometer ergab die Intensitäten für eine Anzahl von Richtungen
im reziproken R a u m . Aus den Intensitäten wurden die elastischen Anteile
ausgewertet und schließlich die absoluten Werte auf Grund der Kompressibili-
t ä t s d a t e n von Indium bestimmt (in 10 11 dyn · cm~ 2 ): cn = 5,25, C12 = 3,68,
Ci3 = 3,71, C33 = 5,30, C44 = 0,78 und cee = 1,47. Diese Daten sind vergleichbar
mit den von W I N D E R und S M I T H 1958 mittels Ultraschall bestimmten Werten.

Abstract
T h e elastic constants of single crystals of indium have been studied using
diffuse x-ray reflections. A microdensitometer survey of the diffuse reflections
g a v e intensity for a number of directions in reciprocal space. F r o m the inten-
sities the elastic ratios were evaluated and finally the absolute values deter-
mined using the compressibility date for indium. The values in units of
1 0 » dynes · cm-2 are C u = 5.25, C12 = 3.68, C13 = 3.71, C33 = 5.30, Cti = 0.78
and Cee = 1.47. Results are comparable with the values determined by
W I N D E R and S M I T H ( 1 9 5 8 ) using an ultrasonic method.

Introduction
Diffuse x-ray reflections has been extensively used for the study
of elastic constants of metal crystals ( S A N D O R and W O O S T E R , 1 9 5 9 ;
W O O S T E R , 1 9 6 2 ) as well as organic ones ( J O S H I and K A S H Y A P , 1 9 6 4 ;
P H A T A K et al., 1 9 7 2 ; C H A N D R A and H E M K A R , 1 9 7 3 ) . For metal crystals
with cubic structures this method was applied with great success, but
no application has been made so far to the crystals having a lower
* Physics Department, The University, Allahabad, India.
Z. Kristallogr. Bd. 144, 1/2 7
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98 I). P . S i n h a . S u r e s h C h a n d r a a n d S a l i g r a m S i x o h

symmetry. With a view to testing the applicability of the method,

the elastic properties of tetragonal indium single crystals were studied
by this method. The photographic technique of recording diffuse scat-
tering was employed because it is simple, and because a stabilized x-ray
output is not essential. Because of the large size of the available crys-
tals, crystal-reflected radiation could be used. From the diffuse-
reflection photographs of a single crystal of indium, elastic ratios
were obtained and finally the absolute values using compressibility.

Theory
Multiple phonon-scattering interaction appears in the form of
a diffuse cloud round about the reciprocal-lattice points on the x-ray
photographic plate. These reflections result from thermal motion
which bear a relation to the elastic force between neighbouring atoms.
At the end of the reciprocal-lattice vector R* the intensity of the
diffuse scattering ( W O O S T E R , 1 9 6 2 ) is given by

I(R*) = \FT\* ~ •^ K[f)g,

where K[f]g represents the Κ surface which is defined as

K[f]g = gi gic [Λ-1]«·

Here / corresponds to the direction cosines f\,fz,h of the wave normal

to the elastic wave and g represents the direction cosines <71,<72,<73 of
the line joining the nearest reciprocal-lattice point to the origin. B y
studying diffuse-reflection intensity about suitable reciprocal-lattice
points, all the values of the constants are obtained using relation for
compressibility and elastic moduli for tetragonal indium as

β = 2Sn + £33 + 4 S13 + 2 S12

where terms have their usual meaning.

Experimental
Tetragonal indium single crystals which belong to space group
Z>4 were grown by applying B R I D G E M A N ' S technique. The sealed
17

tube with indium was lowered at the rate of 8 mm/hour inside the
furnace, the temperature distribution of which was determined by
a recording pyrometer. After necessary cooling the crystal was
removed from the tube and etched to determine whether it was single.

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 The elastic constants of indium crystals 99

Its orientation was determined by x-ray photographs using CuK/x

radiation; then faces parallel to the required crystallographic planes
were cut with a microtome. The diffuse-scattering photographs were
taken using a camera of 5.693 cm radius.
The intensities of the diffuse spots were measured with a microden-
sitometer ( W O O S T E R , 1955). Contour maps of the intensities were
constructed. Measured intensities were corrected for generel scattering,
Compton scattering, absorption, polarization and second-order diffuse
scattering.
Results
The reciprocal lattice points used for the evaluation of the elastic
constants are 400 and 004. From the contour maps of intensity,
values for different wave normals, /, were obtained. The preliminary
value of the eonstants were calculated therefrom following the method
of P R A S A D and W O O S T E R ( 1 9 5 5 ) . These values were used in the cal-
culation of the second-order contribution.

Table 1. Ratios of elastic constants of indium

Ä[100]4oo/Ä[010]4oo = Cee/Cn = 0.267

X[110]40o/X[100]4oo = 2 (1 + Ζ ββ)/[(1 - χ12) (1 + χι* + 2*,«)] = 3.590

Ä[100]4oo/-K[001]4oo = C44/C11 = 0.163

ÜT[011]oo4/Ä[001]oo4 = 2 ( C i , + C44) C 3 3 / [ ( C 1 1 + Cm) (Cu + C33) - (C13 + Cu)2]

= 3.070

Ä[001]oo4/Ä[010]oo4 = C44/C33 = 0-199

X[001]oo4/Ä[100]oo4 = C13/C33 = 0.562

Table 2. Elastic constants of indium

Values reported by
WINDER and SMITH

CU 5.25 · 10" dynes/cm 2 4.45 • 1011 dynes/cm 2

C12 3.68 3.95
C13 3.71 4.05
C 33 5.30 4.44
C44 0.78 0.6555
C 66 1.47 1.22
7*
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100 D. P. SLNHA. SRRESH CHANDRA and SALIGRAM SLNGH

λ/Κ*2 -
Fig. 1. Curves showing the variation of diffuse intensity plotted as function of
1 IK*2 for indium single crystals using the 400 and various reciprocal-lattice points

1/K*2 -
Fig. 2. Curves showing the variation of diffuse intensity plotted as function of
1 /K* 2 for indium single crystals using the 004 and various reciprocal -lattice points

The ratios of elastic constants (Table 1) were obtained from the

slope of the variation of intensity along different points of a wave
normal, f , i.e. from the slope of I vs 1/K*2 graphs as shown in Figs. 1
and 2. The absolute values of elastic constants were determined using
the value of compressibility β = 2.7 χ 10 -12 cm 2 /dyne for indium.
The values obtained as given in Table 2 are in agreement with the
reported values of WINDER and SMITH (1958).

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 The elastic constants of indium crystals 101

Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to Prof. Dr. L . S. SINGH for encouragement
Some stimulating discussions with Dr. M. P. HEMKAR is grate-
f u l l y a c k n o w l e d g e d . O n e o f us ( S . SLNGH) wishes t o t h a n k M r . B . C.
SRIVASTAVA f o r assistance w i t h this w o r k a n d t o t h e D i r e c t o r , N . P . L . ,
N E W D e l h i f o r x - r a y facilities.

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