Accommodation of Misfit Across the Interface Between Crystals of Semiconducting Elements or Compounds

Abstract

Misfit dislocations are often transported to the interface between crystals by glide. In materials with the diamond or sphalerite structures, glide is inhibited by the Peierls stress. The aim of this paper is to present a theory for misfit accommodation which includes the effect of the Peierls stress. It is used to explain the elastic strains present in films of germanium on gallium asrenide and to explain the reduction of these strains by a high-temperature anneal. The strains in germanium on gallium arsenide, and the effect of temperature upon them, are not explained by earlier theories for the accommodation of misfit between one crystal and another.