https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap:2001131
Simulation of surface morphology and defects in heteroepitaxied thin films
1
LPMC, Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences, Université Chouaïb Doukkali, BP 20, El jadida, Morocco
2
LPC, Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, BP 523, Béni Mellal, Morocco
3
Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences, Université ibn Tofl, Kénitra, Morocco
4
Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Université Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex, France
5
LAAS, CNRS, 7 avenue Colonel Roche, 31077 Toulouse Cedex, France
Corresponding author: sahlaoui@fstbm.ac.ma
Received:
7
February
2000
Revised:
17
November
2000
Accepted:
17
November
2000
Published online: 15 March 2001
We have performed atomic scale simulations of heteroepitaxial growth of thin films using the valence force field approximation and Monte Carlo techniques. The case of CdTe/(001)GaAs is considered. Our simulations indicate valley formation presenting (111) facets with unstable bottoms in the early stages of the growth. This roughening is a source of dislocation, as it appears to relax the elastic energy of the deposited layers by formation of V-grooves. We have used a calculated RHEED as an in situ control of deposited layers. Finally, we present the influence of an imperfect surface in the morphology of the deposited films.
PACS: 68.35.Ct – Interface structure and roughness / 68.35.Fx – Diffusion, interface formation / 61.72.Bb – Theories and models of crystal defects
© EDP Sciences, 2001
