It is shown that during the growth of InxGa1-xAs on GaAs, the strain-induced lattice distortion oscillates as a function of monolayer completion in both purely 2D and quasi-2D layer-by-layer growth regimes. This is explained by considering that nontetragonal elastic distortion occurs at the free edges of 2D monolayer islands. Numerical relaxation using a simplified model of interatomic forces gives the correct order of magnitude of the strain relaxation by this process.
Aleksandra Radenovic, Andras Kis, Mukesh Kumar Tripathi, Mukeshchand Thakur, Michal Daniel Macha, Yanfei Zhao, Hyungoo Ji
Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, Lucas Güniat, Santhanu Panikar Ramanandan, Didem Dede, Martin George Friedl, Jean-Baptiste Leran, Wonjong Kim, Nicolas Tappy, Akshay Balgarkashi