Plastic Bending of InSb

Abstract

Plastic bending of InSb is found to result in changes in the electrical properties which are similar to those found in other semiconductors. The total carrier concentration is decreased by the trapping of charge carriers on dislocation acceptor levels and the electron mobility is reduced for conduction perpendicular to the axis of bend. The mobility parallel to the axis of bend is unaltered, suggesting that the space-charge cylinders associated with edge-type dislocations are smooth, although the dislocations themselves are thought to be zig-zagged. Although the electrical properties are in qualitative agreement with Read's theory, it is shown that large disagreements can occur in heavily-deformed impure specimens. The theory is extended to the case where scattering by ionized impurities is appreciable. A method is also proposed whereby one may determine the dislocation density from the magnetic-field dependence of the Hall coefficient. The density so determined is in good agreement with that found from etch-pit counting and from Nye's relation.