Stability of strained heteroepitaxial systems in (1+1) dimensions
Abstract
We present a simple analytical model for the determination of the stable phases of strained heteroepitaxial systems in (1+1) dimensions. In order for this model to be consistent with a subsequent dynamic treatment, all expressions are adjusted to an atomistic Lennard-Jones system. Good agreement is obtained when the total energy is assumed to consist of two contributions: the surface energy and the elastic energy. As a result, we determine the stable phases as a function of the main ``control parameters'' (binding energies, coverage and lattice mismatch). We find that there exists no set of parameters leading to an array of islands as a stable configuration. We however show that a slight modification of the model can lead to the formation of stable arrays of islands.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0312444,
title = {Stability of strained heteroepitaxial systems in (1+1) dimensions},
author = {P. Thibault and L. J. Lewis},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0312444},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
11 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Physical Review B