Dislocations in LD and LED semiconductor heterostructures

We discuss misfit dislocations (MDs) and threading dislocations (TDs) in lattice-mismatched semiconductor heteroepitaxial layers, which are the key structural elements of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes (LDs). Novel approaches to modelling MD formation and TD reduction are considered. The behavior of dislocations in conventional III-V semiconductor compounds as well in polar and semipolar III-nitride heterostructures are reviewed in detail.