Positron lifetime spectroscopy has been used to study the vacancy type defects in undoped gallium antimonide. Temperature dependent positron trapping into the VGarelated defect having a characteristic lifetime of 310ps was observed in the as-grown sample. The lifetime data were well described by a model involving the thermal ionization (0/-) of the VGa-related defect and its ionization energy was found to be E(0/)=83meV. For the electron irradiated sample, the VGa-related defect with lifetime of 310ps that was found in the non-irradiated samples was also identified. Moreover, another lifetime component (280ps) was only observed in the electron irradiated sample but not in the non-irradiated sample. It was also attributed to the V Ga-related defect. The two identified VGa-related defects should have different microstructures because of their difference in characteristic lifetimes. The 280ps component remains thermally stable after the 500°C annealing while the 310ps component anneals at 300°C.published_or_final_versio
