Embrittlement of materials: Si(H) as a model system

Abstract We argue that the micro-cleavage cracks observed in silicon crystals grown in a hydrogen-containing atmosphere and the [111] platelets observed in plasma- and reactive-ion-etched silicon are related and are responsible for the hydrogen embrittlement of silicon. We present our preliminary quantum mechanical calculations on model clusters of silicon using the modified neglect of differential overlap (MINDO/3) technique which support our argument.