Electron microscopy of dislocations introduced into GaN by plastic deformation

Abstract

Dislocations introduced by plastic deformation into GaN with the wurtzite structure have mostly an a -type Burgers vector. Dislocations on prismatic planes are not dissociated as observed by weak-beam electron microscopy. Highresolution electron microscopy of basal dislocations has revealed that both the dissociated and undissociated states are stable. From the widths of the dissociated basal dislocations observed by weak-beam electron microscopy, the energy of the intrinsic stacking fault has been estimated to be 22 4 mJm-2. This value is consistent with the correlation previously found between the reduced stackingfault energy and the c/a ratio of the wurtzite crystals.