X-ray topographic studies on the lattice distortions of single crystals of silicon due to scratching

X-ray topography studies of scratches on discs of silicon crystals gave the following results. The damage field of each scratch consists of three zones of different kinds of distortions and exceeds the furrow dimensions in width as well as in depth by several orders of magnitude. Surrounding each scratch there exists a compressive strain of the order of 2.10³ kp.cm^-2 attributed to microplastic deformation. No influence of scratching velocity on the resulting damage is observed. An `impressing' action of the scratching tool while in motion is much more effective in producing damage than a `ploughing' one.