A microstructural study of a quenched InSb ingot

Abstract

Samples cut from a quenched ingot of the compound semiconductor InSb have been characterized by precision X-ray diffraction. The results show that the central and top parts of the ingot have [110] texture, whereas its bottom part is polycrystalline, which is interpreted in terms of the heat removal geometry during quenching. The texture plane coincides with the easy cleavage plane (110), typical of the III–V compound semiconductors and due to dislocation pile-ups. The microstructure of the quenched InSb ingot includes characteristic microcracks, dotted with dislocation outcrops on the polished surface. The observed increase in the unit-cell parameters of quenched InSb is tentatively attributed to the high dislocation density in the quenched ingot.