To develop new materials and processes, an understanding of defect structures and behaviour is vital, and will become more so in the future as devices are made smaller and faster. Positron annihilation is a technique that can provide unique information on the microstructure of materials. Professor Martin Zinke-Allmang 's research group focuses on dynamic processes during thin film growth, investigated with an emphasis on semiconductor heterosystems. In particular he is currently studying morphologies formed by metal deposits such as Ga, In and Sn on GaAs and InP surfaces and silicon. These studies are complemented by applications of these concepts in technologically relevant systems, currently focusing on silicide formation on silicon and silicon- germanium alloy surfaces.
Fundamental topics are surface diffusion, clustering and nucleation and self-etching.