Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-dtkg6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-12T02:24:02.418Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Atomistic simulation study of misfit strain relaxation mechanisms in heteroepitaxial islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2011

Avinash M. Dongare  and
Leonid V. Zhigilei
Avinash M. Dongare
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, 116 Engineer's Way, Charlottesville, VA 22904–4745
Leonid V. Zhigilei
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, 116 Engineer's Way, Charlottesville, VA 22904–4745
Get access

Abstract

The mechanisms of the misfit strain relaxation in heteroepitaxial islands are investigated in two-dimensional molecular dynamics simulations. Stress distributions are analyzed for coherent and dislocated islands. Thermally-activated nucleation of misfit dislocations upon annealing at an elevated temperature and their motion from the edges of the islands towards the positions corresponding to the maximum strain relief is observed and related to the corresponding decrease of the total strain energy of the system. Differences between the predictions of the energy balance and force balance criteria for the appearance of misfit dislocations is discussed. Simulations of an island located at different distances form the edge of a mesa indicate that the energy of the system decreases sharply as the island position shifts toward the edge. These results suggest that there may be a region near the edge of a mesa where nucleation and growth of ordered arrays of islands is favored.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 749: Symposium W – Morphological and Compositional Evolution of Thin Films , 2002 , W10.12
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

[1] Bimberg, D., Grundmann, M., Ledentsov, N.N., Quantum Dot Heterostructures (John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1998).Google Scholar
[2] Germanium silicon: Physics and materials, edited by Hull, R. and Bean, J. C. (Academic Press, San Diego, 1999).Google Scholar
[3] Johnson, H. T. and Freund, L. B., J. Appl. Phys. 81, 6081 (1997).Google Scholar
[4] Su, X., Kalia, R.K., Nakano, A., Vashishta, P., Madhukar, A., Appl. Phys. Lett. 79, 4577 (2001).Google Scholar
[5] Makeev, M.A. and Madhukar, A., Appl. Pys. Lett. 81, 3789 (2002).Google Scholar
[6] Raiteri, P., Valentinotti, F., and Miglio, L, Appl. Surf. Sci. 188, 4 (2002).Google Scholar
[7] Guha, S., Madhukar, A. and Rajkumar, K.C., Appl. Phys. Lett. 57, 2110 (1990).Google Scholar
[8] Chen, Y., Lin, X. W., Liliental-Weber, Z., and Washburn, J., Appl. Phys. Lett. 68, 111 (1996).Google Scholar
[9] Gopal, V., Vasiliev, A. L., and Kvam, E. P., Phil. Mag. A 81, 2481 (2001).Google Scholar
[10] Wunderlich, W., Fujimoto, M., Ohsato, H., Thin Solid Films 375, 9 (2000).Google Scholar
[11] Shiryaev, S.Y., Jensen, F., Hansen, J.L., Petersen, J. W., Larsen, A.N., Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 503 (1997).Google Scholar
[12] Tersoff, J., Teichert, C., and Lagally, M.G., Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 1675 (1996).Google Scholar
[13] Kamins, T.I. and Williams, R.S., Appl. Phys. Lett. 71, 1201 (1997).Google Scholar
[14] Jin, G., Wan, J., Luo, Y.H., Liu, J.L., and Wang, K.L., J. Cryst. Growth 227–228, 1100 (2001).Google Scholar
[15] Gong, Q., Notzel, R., Schonherr, H.P., Ploog, K.H., Physica E 13, 1176 (2002).Google Scholar
[16] Kuronen, A., Kaski, K., Perondi, L.F. and Rintala, J., Europhys. Lett. 55, 19 (2001).Google Scholar
[17] Dong, L., Schnitker, J., Smith, R.W., and Srolovitz, D.J., J. Appl. Phys. 83, 217 (1998).Google Scholar
[18] Rowlinson, J. S., Liquid and liquid mixtures (Butterworth Scientific, London, 1982).Google Scholar