Experimental evidence for creation of luminescence quenching localized defects by moving dislocations in gallium arsenide

Abstract

The production of luminescence quenching localized defects by moving dislocations in GaAs plastically deformed at 350 °C has been established by low-temperature (80 K) band-edge cathodoluminescence (CL) and chemical etch-pit studies. Specimens were deformed to two levels, (1) measurable macroscopic plastic deformation, and (2) 20% of the stress applied in (1). It was established by CL and chemical etching that numerous dislocations were generated on the four {111} stressed slip planes of the macroscopically deformed specimen. Uniform bands of reduced CL signal were correlated to bands of enhanced etching in the lightly deformed samples. It was established from the etching and CL images that these bands are not produced by deformation-induced dislocations but must consist of numerous localized luminescence quenching (Refs. 1–3) defects (e.g., point defects and small dislocation loops) created by the passage of dislocations.