MECHANISM OF THERMAL INTERACTION OF IN WITH GAAS

General behavior of In/GaAs couple heat-treated at 570-degrees-C for 2 hours was studied with secondary-ion-mass spectrometry, scanning elec tron microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and Nomarski m icroscopy. It is shown that, besides the well-known InGaAs crystallite s which epitaxially grow upon dissolution of the substrate, In interac ts with the substrate dislocations to form In(Ga)As dendrites. The dri ving force for this process is presumably excess arsenic reported to b e present in the vicinity of the individual dislocations.