Vickers indentation of thin GaAs (001) samples

Thin GaAs (001) samples have been deformed using a Vickers indenter at temperatures around 350°C under loads ranging between 0.4 and 2.35 N. Optical microscopy, optical interferometry and transmission electron microscopy were used to obtain a better understanding of the plastic flow through the specimens. Anisotropic plastic flow through the thin foils could be detected at the face opposite to the indented face under large loads. In this case pile-up at the indented surface progressively vanished. An α-dislocation-based model describing the material flow through the samples is proposed.