Applied Physics Letters · 1991 · 100 citations · 6 references
Natural SciencesMaterials SciencePhysicsCondensed Matter PhysicsSemiconductor MaterialsThin FilmsEpitaxial GrowthResidual StressSemiconductor PhysicsSemiconductor Thin FilmsStrain HardeningThin Film StrainCritical ThicknessFilm StrainLayer Thickness EffectsResidual StrainResidual Stress RelaxationStrain EffectsStrain RelaxationWork Hardening Analysis
We report measurements of the plastic relaxation of InGaAs layers grown above critical thickness on GaAs substrates. The relaxation is accurately hyperbolic, proportional to the reciprocal of the layer thickness, in agreement with a recent geometrical theory of critical thickness [D. J. Dunstan, S. Young, and R. H. Dixon, J. Appl. Phys. 70, 3038 (1991)]. At large thicknesses, work hardening is observed which leads to a residual strain dependent on the original misfit.
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