Transmission electron microscope investigation of indentation induced dislocation configurations on the (001) GaSb face

Dislocation configurations induced by room temperature microindentations on the (001) face of GaSb (undoped and Te-doped) have been studied using high voltage transmission electron microscopy. Perfect and partial dislocations could be found in all four arms of the dislocation rosette around the indent. Microtwins and rarely single stacking faults are associated with the partials. Contrary to other binary III–V compounds, an “inverse” glide prism along the [1[unk]0]/[[unk]10] rosette arms is created and it is bounded by {111}B planes which diverge away from the surface. Under high stress – low temperature conditions plastic deformation in undoped as well as n-doped GaSb proceeds by the movement of mobile α-dislocations, whereas β-dislocations are almost immobile. The reasons for the observed slip asymmetry of the dislocation rosette are discussed and a model for the formation of microtwins is proposed.