Electron-irradiation enhanced dislocation glide in II-VI semiconductors

Transmission electron microscope in situ deformation experiments have been performed on ZnS and ZnSe single crystals to get quantitative information o n the effect of electronic excitation on dislocation movement. The dislocat ion mobility is strongly enhanced by electron irradiation as a result of th e lowering of the lattice friction. The observed reduction in activation en ergy is discussed in terms of the radiation-enhanced dislocation glide mech anism, due to nonradiative recombination of injected carriers at electronic levels associated with dislocations. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All ri ghts reserved.