Some computer simulations of semiconductor thin film growth and strain relaxation in a unified atomistic and kinetic model
Conference
·
OSTI ID:488993
- Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
An overview is provided of an evolving atomistic and kinetic model of semiconductor growth that unifies the main features of strain relaxation in low and high lattice misfit heteroepitaxy. The model reveals a kinetic pathway for dislocation formation during growth with little or no energy cost at low misfits, thus providing a way out of the longstanding dilemma of too high dislocation nucleation energies predicted by classical theories of the equilibrium behavior of a fixed number of particles at low misfits. The essential kinetic process underlying the model are identified on the basis of comparison of the predictions of kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations of growth with real-time or in-situ data obtained in such experiments as reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Relative significance of these atomistic kinetic processes is shown to naturally lead to strain relaxation via defect initiation at low misfits while maintaining smooth surface morphology or at high misfits change to 3-dimensional morphology while initially maintaining coherence. The potential role of steps in providing sources for defect formation is examined through molecular dynamics simulations of Ge overlayers on Si (001) stepped surfaces.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC (United States); Department of the Army, Washington, DC (United States); Office of Naval Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 488993
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-951155--; ISBN 1-55899-311-8
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Nanocavity effects on misfit accommodation in semiconductors
Effect of dislocations on electrical and electron transport properties of InN thin films. I. Strain relief and formation of a dislocation network
Multiscale analysis of interfacial stability and misfit dislocation formation in layer-by-layer semiconductor heteroepitaxy
Technical Report
·
Mon Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1997
·
OSTI ID:468586
Effect of dislocations on electrical and electron transport properties of InN thin films. I. Strain relief and formation of a dislocation network
Journal Article
·
Tue Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 2006
· Journal of Applied Physics
·
OSTI ID:20884810
Multiscale analysis of interfacial stability and misfit dislocation formation in layer-by-layer semiconductor heteroepitaxy
Conference
·
Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1999
·
OSTI ID:20014999