Molecular dynamics simulation of nano-indentation of (111) cubic boron nitride with optimized Tersoff potential

We conduct molecular dynamics simulation of nanoindentation on (111) surface of cubic boron nitride and find that shuffle-set dislocations slip along <112> direction on {111} plane at the initial stage of the indentation. The shuffle-set dislocations are then found to meet together, forming surfaces of a tetrahedron. We also find that the surfaces are stacking-fault zones, which intersect with each other, forming edges of stair-rod dislocations along <110> direction. Moreover, we also calculate the generalized stacking fault (GSF) energies along various gliding directions on several planes and find that the GSF energies of the <112>{111} and <110>{111} systems are relatively smaller, indicating that dislocations slip more easily along <110> and <112> directions on the {111} plane.