Generation and evolution of partial misfit dislocations and stacking faults in thin-film heterostructures

An analysis is made of the specific features in the generation and evolution of partial misfit dislocations at the vertices of V-shaped configurations of stacking fault bands, which terminate in the bulk of the growing film at 90° partial Shockley dislocations. The critical thicknesses h _c of an epitaxial film, at which generation of such defect configurations becomes energetically favorable, are calculated. It is shown that at small misfits, the first to be generated are perfect misfit dislocations and at large misfits, partial ones, which are located at the vertices of V-shaped stacking-fault band configurations emerging onto the film surface. Possible further evolution of stacking-fault band configurations with increasing film thickness are studied.