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Abstract:
Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy studies often reveal a-type dislocations located either below or above the interfaces in
InGaN/GaN structures deposited along the [0001] direction. We show that these dislocations do not emerge during growth but rather are a
consequence of the stress state on lateral surfaces and mechanical processing, making them a post-growth effect. In cathodoluminescence mapping, these defects are visible in the vicinity of the edges of InGaN/GaN structures exposed by cleaving or polishing. Finite element cal-culations show the residual stress distribution in the vicinity of the InGaN/GaN interface at the free edge. The stress distribution is discussed in terms of dislocation formation and propagation. The presence of such defects at free edges of processed devices based on InGaN layers may have a significant negative impact on the device performance.

Keywords:
Luminescence ,Transmission electron microscopy ,Focused ion beam ,Semiconductor materials ,Epitaxy ,Crystal structure ,Crystal lattices ,Crystallographic defects,Mechanical stress,X-ray diffraction