Changes in electrical device characteristics during the in situ formation of dislocations

Abstract

By adding electrical connections to a specimen heating holder for a transmission electron microscope (TEM), we have measured the characteristics of electronic devices, such as diodes, while they remain under observation. We have made TEM specimens from metastable GeSi/Si p-n junction diodes and introduced dislocations by heating in situ. We describe the changes in the electrical properties of these devices as dislocations form. We find that a generation-recombination process does not explain our results and instead, suggest a model based on the creation of point defects or the diffusion of metals during the formation of dislocations.