Damage formation in InP, GaP, InAs, GaAs, and the related ternary alloys Ga 0.50 In 0.50 P and Ga 0.47 In 0.53 As irradiated at room temperature with 185 MeV Au ions was studied using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy in channeling configuration, transmission electron microscopy, and small-angle x-ray scattering. Despite nearly identical ion-energy loss in these materials, their behavior under swift-heavy-ion irradiation is strikingly different: InP and Ga 0.50 In 0.50 P are readily

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... zed, GaP and GaAs remain almost undamaged and InAs and Ga 0.47 In 0.53 As exhibit intermediate behavior. A material-dependent combination of irradiation-induced damage formation and annealing is proposed to describe the different responses of the III-V materials to electronic energy loss.