Rapid misfit dislocation characterization in heteroepitaxial III-V/Si thin films by electron channeling contrast imaging

Abstract

Electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) is used to characterize misfit dislocations in heteroepitaxial layers of GaP grown on Si(100) substrates. Electron channeling patterns serve as a guide to tilt and rotate sample orientation so that imaging can occur under specific diffraction conditions. This leads to the selective contrast of misfit dislocations depending on imaging conditions, confirmed by dynamical simulations, similar to using standard invisibility criteria in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The onset and evolution of misfit dislocations in GaP films with varying thicknesses (30 to 250 nm) are studied. This application simultaneously reveals interesting information about misfit dislocations in GaP/Si layers and demonstrates a specific measurement for which ECCI is preferable versus traditional plan-view TEM.