Fundamental research directed toward improved understanding of atomistic processes and structure in semiconductors and their surfaces will be conducted. The atomistics of dislocation motion in semiconductors will be studied using real-time atomic resolution transmission electron microscope video recordings of dislocation kink motion. The research aims to understand the correlation between kink motions on different moving partial dislocations, the nature of obstacles to kink motion, and their density and waiting times. Also, the early stages of the growth of SiGe alloys on silicon will be studied by ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron diffraction. The research seeks to determine the atomic coordinates for low coverage Ge on Si(111) surface structures, and in comparing the results with scanning tunneling microscope(STM) work. %%% This research is expected to provide deeper fundamental understanding of atomic interactions and their relationship to defects, defect motion, and early stages of epitaxial crystal growth. From an application point of view, understanding these properties is helpful to semiconductor device design and fabrication. The results will be of importance in a general way to the technology of large scale, high speed integrated electronic circuits.
