Electron holography studies of the charge on dislocations in GaN

The measurement of charge on dislocations in GaN by electron holography is described. Recent results are presented showing that edge dislocations in n-doped GaN are highly negatively charged, whereas those in p-doped GaN are positively charged. It is shown that the results are consistent with a model which assumes Fermi level pinning at dislocation states about 2.5 V below the conduction band edge. The application of electron holography to screw dislocations, and the dependence of the observations on the dislocation core structure, are also discussed.