In epitaxial wurtzite GaN, structural transformations of inversion domain boundaries on prismatic planes were observed at their intersections with stacking faults on the basal plane. High resolution electron microscopy observations showed that, following the growth direction, the inversion domain boundaries were transformed from the low-energy and electrically non-active IDB* type to the high-energy, electrically active, Holt-type structure. By using the topological theory of interfacial defects, it was proved that these transitions were due to the interaction of two distinct planar defects, and could be attributed to the different growth rates of adjacent domains of inverse polarity. The junction lines of the planar defects were characterized by employing the circuit mapping technique as formulated mathematically for multicomponent crystal systems. It was found that these lines exhibited partial dislocation character and an analytical account of such lines was presented.

Structural Transition of Inversion Domain Boundaries through Interactions with Stacking Faults in Epitaxial GaN. G.P.Dimitrakopulos, P.Komninou, J.Kioseoglou, T.Kehagias, E.Sarigiannidou, A.Georgakilas, G.Nouet, T.Karakostas: Physical Review B, 2001, 64[24], 245325 (12pp)