The prediction and confirmation of critical epitaxial parameters

Abstract

The coherency-incoherency transition in epitaxial crystals is said to take place at a critical misfit fc or, for a system in which a monolayer is subcritical, at a critical thickness hc. In this paper, we analyze the physical principles and models used to predict critical parameters and put them into perspective. We stress the dependence of the relevant principles on the equilibrium-nonequilibrium conditions under which the quantities are measured in practice. The advantages and disadvantages of the models used—essentially the Frenkel–Kontorowa and Volterra models—are highlighted.