Influence of misfit dislocations on the alignment of epitaxial thin films

Abstract

Many epitaxial deposits are elastically strained to fit their substrate lattice. This strain persists until a critical deposit thickness is reached. Thereafter, misfit is shared between dislocations and strain. The formation of misfit dislocations after the critical thickness is reached is often accompanied by a deterioration in the alignment of the deposit. The magnitude of this deterioration depends on several factors, among the most important of which is the misfit itself. This paper describes the dependence of misalignment on misfit in several simple epitaxial systems.