Role of threading dislocations during treatment of PbTe films in argon plasma
Epitaxial n-PbTe films grown on CaF2/Si(1 1 1) wafers using MBE were treated in an inductively coupled high-density Ar-plasma for a time period of 30 s. AFM measurements showed that after the treatment process large hillocks, 350–450 nm high, are formed on the dislocation exit sites. The tips of the hillocks have triangular dislocation exit pits. The density of the large hillocks corresponds to the dislocation density on the initial surface.