Defects in Epitaxial Films of Semiconducting Compounds with the Sphalerite Structure

The crystallography of point defects, dislocations, grain boundaries, misfit dislocation networks, and polytypes in semiconducting compounds with the sphalerite (zincblende) structure is outlined. The methods available for depositing films of compounds are reviewed with reference to the problem of non-stoichiometry. The variation of film structure with substrate temperature is considered, and the few published results of studies of the phase structures and the defect content of epitaxial films of semiconducting compounds are described. The experimental methods available for more detailed analysis of these features are then pointed out.