Point defects (e.g. missing, extra or swapped atoms) in crystalline materials often determine the actual electronic and optical response of a given material. For example, controlled substitutions in ...

A software workflow automates X-ray analysis to spot crystal defects in diamond and advanced semiconductors, helping improve ...

Quantum engineers have spent years trying to tame the fragility of qubits, only to be thwarted by the tiniest imperfections in the materials they use. Now a new line of research flips that problem on ...

Ion implantation introduces energetic ions into a crystal lattice, displacing atoms and creating point defects—vacancies and interstitials—collectively known as Frenkel defects. These primary defects ...

Researchers and industries have been using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to study semiconductors' stacking and dislocation faults. This article considers the analysis of crystal structures.

Order doesn’t always form perfectly—and those imperfections can be surprisingly powerful. In materials like liquid crystals, tiny “defects” emerge when symmetry breaks, shaping everything from cosmic ...