In situ observation of interaction between grain boundaries during directional solidification of Si

Abstract The interaction between grain boundaries (GBs) at a silicon crystal/melt interface was studied using in situ observations during directional solidification. Two small-angle GBs (SAGBs) interact with each other to produce a new SAGB with increased misorientaion. However, the interaction between Σ3 GBs and SAGBs reveals a different phenomenon. The extending directions and misorientations of the SAGBs and Σ3 GBs show no change before and after the convergence of these two planar defects at the crystal/melt interface.