Partial dislocation source in InSb: A new mechanism

Partial dislocation nucleation and multiplication in III-V semiconductor compounds are usually ascribed to the difference in mobility between alpha and beta partials. These differences in mobility increase when the temperature decreases, so that the contribution of twinning to the deformation mechanisms becomes important for high stresses and low temperatures. Starting from transmission electron microscopic observations of plastically deformed InSb under high stresses and hydrostatic pressure at room temperature, showing the multiplication of alpha as well as beta partial dislocations, a model for the partial dislocation multiplication is proposed. This model does not rely on the difference in alpha and beta partial dislocation mobilities but on the formation of Lomer-Cottrell sessile dislocations issued from dislocation dipoles.