Thin Film Physics

Lecture 15
Burgers Vector:
Characteristic Vectors of a Dislocation

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 1

Characteristic Vectors of a Dislocation

Characteristic vectors of a dislocation

1. Tangent vector 𝒕𝒕� Line vector, Unit vector

2. Burgers vector 𝒃𝒃

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 2

Characteristic Vectors of a Dislocation

Slip plane

Slip No-Slip
Slip magnitude
and direction
𝒕𝒕�
𝒃𝒃

dislocation line

1. Tangent vector(line vector): unit vector parallel or

tangent to the dislocation line.

2. Burgers vector: Magnitude and direction of slip.

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 3

Edge, Screw, and Mixed Dislocation

Edge, Screw, and Mixed Dislocation:

Based on the angular relation between Burgers vector and tangent vector

(1) Edge Dislocation: 𝒕𝒕� ⊥ 𝒃𝒃

Slip No-Slip

𝒕𝒕�

𝒃𝒃
Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 4
Edge, Screw, and Mixed Dislocation

(2) Screw Dislocation: 𝒕𝒕� ∥ 𝒃𝒃

Slip No-Slip

𝒕𝒕�

Slip No-Slip
𝒃𝒃
𝒕𝒕�

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 5

Edge, Screw, and Mixed Dislocation

(3) Mixed Dislocation: 𝒕𝒕� ∦ 𝒃𝒃; 𝒕𝒕� ⊥ 𝒃𝒃

Slip No-Slip
𝒕𝒕�

Slip No-Slip
𝒃𝒃 𝒕𝒕�

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 6

Screw Dislocation

𝒕𝒕� ∥ 𝒃𝒃 Screw Dislocation

Slip direction is paralleled to the dislocation line

Extra half plane.

𝒕𝒕� ⊥ 𝒃𝒃 Edge Dislocation
(atomic picture)

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 7

Screw Dislocation

Slip No-Slip

L R
Dislocation line
𝒃𝒃
Slip No slip

Front side Back side

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 8

Screw Dislocation

No-Slip
Slip Screw dislocation line

L R

𝒃𝒃 𝒃𝒃

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 9

Screw Dislocation

Screw dislocation line Screw dislocation line

Start
3
2

1 4
8
5
9

Spiral ramp,
𝒃𝒃 right handed screw dislocation
𝒃𝒃

Spiral direction
Parallel planes perpendicular to the
dislocation line join to form a continuous
spiral ramp (helicoidal surface) with a
dislocation line at its axis.
Move downward

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 10

Burgers Circuit

𝒃𝒃 Magnitude and direction of slip

J. M. Burgers
January 13, 1895, Arnhem, Netherlands
-Died, June 7, 1981 (aged 86)
Washington, United States

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 11

Closed Burgers Circuit

Start, Finish point

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1

5
10
6

10

16

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 12

Closed Burgers Circuit
Finish point
Start

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
10 1

9 2

8 3

7 4

6 5

5 6

?
4 7

3 8

2 9

1 10

16 15 14 13 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 13

Closed Burgers Circuit
Finish point
Start

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
10 1

9 2

8 3

7 4

6 5

5 6

4 7

3 8

2 9

1 10

16 15 14 13 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 14

Clockwise Burgers Circuit
F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
10 1

9 2

8 3

7 𝒃𝒃 4

6 5

5 6

4 7

3 8

2 9

1 10

16 15 14 13 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

A closed Burgers Circuit in a crystal fails to close when mapped

around a dislocation line. Closure failure, 𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭 = 𝒃𝒃
Clockwise, anticlockwise circuit.

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 15

Anticlockwise Burgers Circuit

S F 16 15 14 13 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1 10
2 𝒃𝒃 9

3 8

4 7

5 6

6 5

7 4

8 3

9 2

10 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Clockwise, anticlockwise circuit.

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 16

Burgers Vector Convention

The closed circuit in a crystal

Right-handed circuit with thumb pointing in the direction of the
tangent vector, 𝒕𝒕⃗
𝒕𝒕⃗

𝒕𝒕⃗

𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭 = 𝒃𝒃 RHFS convention

(Right Hand Finish Start Convention)

• Depending on the textbook, the convention could be different!

• So, please check which convention is used in the book !!

Thin Film Physics Lecture_15_Burgers Vector 2023 Spring 17