Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
To update the status of knowledge on the recombination-enhanced dislocation glides (REDG) in semiconductors, which is one of the causes of serious degradation in bipolar devices, research progress achieved for the last decade has been surveyed. Rather than presenting a complete review over a wide range of material systems, a particular attention has been paid to the REDG effect in 4H-SiC for which a lot of information has been accumulated owing to extensive studies. Although the REDG effect exhibits features that could be interpreted in terms of the phonon-kick mechanism, conclusive proof is still lacking.