Effect of uniaxial deformation on the current–voltage characteristic of a p-Ge/n-GaAs heterostructure

The effect of uniaxial deformation under a stress of up to 6 kg/cm2 on the current–voltage characteristics of a p-Ge/n-GaAs heterostructure is studied at 300 and 77 K. It is found that both the forward and reverse currents increase with increasing pressure, with the change in the forward current exceeding that in the reverse current by an order of magnitude. Deformation is also examined in relation to different crystallographic directions. It is found that the effect is at a maximum if the compression direction is parallel to <111>. This result can be used in the development of uniaxial-strain sensors.