Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
The best layers of GaN grown on SiC or sapphire contain high densities of threading dislocations, which do not seem to exhibit a critically important electrical activity. It is possible that the electrical activity of these dislocations may change with time. The large majority of the threading dislocations are a type, with 1/3 <1120> Burgers vector and their line parallel to the [0001] growth direction. The atomic structure of the a threading dislocations was found to correspond to 5/7 or 8 atoms rings core with rather equal frequency. The 8 atoms ring cores contain dangling bonds and will present favourable sites for atomic impurities which eventuallly can modify the good performances of the devices.