Electron mobility limited by scattering from screened positively charged dislocation lines within indium nitride

Abstract

In the present work, we address the open question of the contribution from threading dislocations to the problem of unintentional n-type conductivity exhibited by indium nitride through an examination of the effect that positively charged dislocation lines have on the transverse electron mobility within this material. Assuming that the threading dislocation lines within indium nitride act as a source for free electrons, the screening associated with the positively charged threading dislocation lines is evaluated. The impact this screening has on the dislocation limited electron mobility within this material is then considered. Our results indicate that one of the implications of attributing a donor character to the threading dislocation lines within indium nitride would be a strong non-uniformity in the free electron concentration in the plane of growth of this semiconductor. This contrasts dramatically with the case of gallium nitride.