Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 158701 (2008) [4 pages]Mesoscopic and Microscopic Modeling of Island Formation in Strained Film EpitaxyReceived 23 June 2008; published 7 October 2008 The instability of strained films for island formation is examined through an approach incorporating both discrete microscopic details and continuum mechanics. A linear relationship between the island wave number and misfit strain is found for large strains, while only in the small strain limit is a crossover to the continuum elasticity result obtained. A universal scaling relation accommodating all range of misfit strains is identified. Our results indicate that continuum mechanics may break down even at relatively small misfit stress due to the discrete nature of crystalline surfaces. © 2008 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.158701
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.158701
PACS:
68.55.−a, 81.15.Aa, 89.75.Da, 89.75.Kd
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