Strain E?ect on the Instability of Island Formation in Submonolayer Heteroepitaxy

Abstract

Strain e�ect on the instability of island formation in submonolayer heteroepitaxy is studied in both thermodynamic and kinetic regimes. By using linear stability analysis, the energy change of an island due to small perturbations is analyzed. A phase diagram is constructed to illustrate the interplay between kinetic processes and strain e�ect on the shape instability. Critical island sizes beyond which islands grow unstable are also derived for various growth conditions and can be used to estimate energy parameters. The scaling forms of shape instability are also discussed.