On the determination of the nature of misfit dislocations in semiconductor strained-layer heterostructures

Abstract The study of the mechanisms of formation of misfit dislocations in latticemismatched semiconductor interfaces requires a comprehensive characterization of these dislocations. In particular the determination of the sense of their Burgers vectors by transmission electron microscopy makes it possible to show that they contribute to removing part of the mismatched-induced interfacial strain. Furthermore the nature (αorβ) of the dislocations can then be determined. The different methods of determination of the sense of Burgers vectors are reviewed and then applied to InGaAs/GaAs superlattices.