9502117 Goorsky This research program aims to develop a deeper understanding of the connection between microscopic materials structure and performance in compound semiconductors. The relationship among substrate properties, initial defect nucleation, and device performance in GaAs- and InP-based heterostructures will be studied. The role of substrate perfection and substrate miscut on the initial stages of misfit dislocation formation and related defects in strained epitaxial structures will be explored as well as the behavior of layers grown under either tensile or compressive strain. This will help develop a fundamental understanding of precisely how the magnitude and sign of stress in the layers influences the formation of defects. %%% This research will contribute to improving the general performance and to the realization of advanced devices and integrated circuits used in computing, information processing, and telecommunications. An important feature of the program is the training of graduate and undergraduate students in a fundamentally and technologically significant area of materials and processing research. ***
