Shape transition and dislocation nucleation in strained epitaxial islands

We study numerically the equilibrium shape, shape transition and dislocation nucleation in strained epitaxial islands with a two-dimensional atomistic model, using interatomic potentials of Lennard-Jones type. The phase diagram for the equilibrium island shapes as a function of island size and latti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBrazilian journal of physics Vol. 36; no. 2a; pp. 328 - 331
Main Authors Jalkanen, J., Trushin, O., Granato, E., Ying, S.C., Ala-Nissila, T.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Sociedade Brasileira de Física 01.06.2006
Subjects
PHYSICS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Strained epitaxial islands
Atomistic model
Dislocation nucleation
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Summary:We study numerically the equilibrium shape, shape transition and dislocation nucleation in strained epitaxial islands with a two-dimensional atomistic model, using interatomic potentials of Lennard-Jones type. The phase diagram for the equilibrium island shapes as a function of island size and lattice misfit with the substrate is obtained by an energy minimization procedure which does not require predefined faceted shapes. We determine the energy barrier and transition path for transition between different shapes of the islands and for dislocation nucleation in initially coherent islands using a method introduced recently, based on a systematic search of the transition paths for activated events.
ISSN:0103-9733
1678-4448
DOI:10.1590/S0103-97332006000300025