Variations in the dislocation density were measured in films which had been grown, by means of liquid-phase epitaxy, from Te-rich melts. It was found that the variations in dislocation density depended upon the film growth temperature, the substrate dislocation density, the epitaxial film thickness, and the use of post-growth annealing in Hg vapor. Films which were less than 0.03 to 0.04mm in thickness contained dislocation densities which usually reflected the dislocation density of the substrate. In thicker films, dislocation multiplication was associated with Te precipitation and subsequent low-temperature annealing in Hg vapor. This could increase the dislocation density by a factor of between 3 and 10. High-temperature pre-annealing in Hg vapor eliminated dislocation multiplication during low-temperature annealing. When such pre-annealing was applied to films which were thicker than about 0.08mm, the dislocation density in the film could become lower than that in the substrate.

D.Chandra, J.H.Tregilgas, M.W.Goodwin: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B, 1991, 9[3], 1852-7