Micromechanical properties of GaP〈Dy〉 epilayers

Abstract

The physicomechanical properties of GaP epilayers grown by liquid phase epitaxy from indium-based high-temperature solutions have been studied using microindentation. The results demonstrate that the growth of GaP epilayers from indium-based high-temperature solutions leads to a reduction in their microhardness, microbrittleness, and fracture toughness. The addition of a rare-earth dopant to a high-temperature solution has an ambiguous effect on the strength of the epilayers. Low rare-earth concentrations may both reduce and increase the microhardness of the epilayers, depending on epitaxy conditions. The random microhardness distribution of samples containing rare-earth inclusions has two peaks: one due to the rareearth inclusions, and the other due to the region with a relatively low lanthanide concentration.