Discrete dislocation dynamics study of strained-layer relaxation

Numerical simulations are performed to follow the evolution of an initial density of dislocation loops in an infinite strained layer to the point where the dislocations have stopped moving. Several unexpected results are obtained. First, many of the threading arms are either annihilated or prematurely immobilized by hardening interactions such as jogging and junction formation. Second, the remaining dislocation arms are eventually trapped by stress fluctuations that arise more from local overrelaxation than from the blocking mechanisms usually considered. Third, the degree of relaxation that can be attained depends strongly on the initial density of threading arms.