In situ observation of formation of misfit dislocations in pseudomorphic monolayer overgrowth of metals and non-metals

Epitaxial overgrowth in cases of deposit and substrate combinations of PbSe/PbS, Au/Pd and Pd/Au were observed in situ in an electron microscope. It was found that the growth proceeds with the very characteristic features of monolayer overgrowth as implied by the theory of Frank and Van der Merwe; no indication of nucleation was observed and the formation of misfit dislocations was noticed over the whole area of films at certain critical thicknesses of the overgrowths. Points were noted which distinguish the monolayer overgrowth from the case where misfit dislocations are introduced in nucleated islands, to which Matthews has counted the growth processes in these combinations. The importance of climb motion as well as slip motion was stressed as the mechanism of introduction of misfit dislocations. Some results of electron diffraction and electron microscopy of films prepared in separate evaporation units were also quoted. These were to examine the relation between misfit dislocation density and mean lattice parameter and the effect of degree of vacuum on the growth mode and to indicate that the same growth mode takes place for some other combinations of IV–VI compounds, SnTe/PbSe, PbTe/PbS and PbTe/PbSe.