Interactions of moving dislocations in semiconductors with point, line andplanar defects

We demonstrate that strained GeSi/Si heterostructures act as a model system for the study of the interaction of propagating dislocations with point, l ine and planar defects. In such heterostructures, the effective stress acti ng on a propagating dislocation may be varied from tens of MPa to of order 1 GPa, and the length of the propagating dislocation segment may be varied from nm to hundreds of nm. Results are presented from the interaction of st rain-relieving dislocations with GeSi free surfaces, with point defects gen erated by ion implantation, and with other dislocations.