Relationship between structure, segregation and electrical activity in grain boundaries

Using the contactless microwave phase-shift technique (μW-PS) and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), we show that the twist and mixed parts of a <110> = 51(θ = 16.10◦) grain boundary in germanium (Ge) are electrically active. We also show that we can passivate the electrically active grain boundaries by sulfur segregation which has been studied by energy filtering HRTEM. Atomistic simulations show that the most favorable places for this segregation are the high energy sites of grain boundary. C 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.