ON THE NATURE OF L1(0) ORDERING IN EQUIATOMIC AUNI AND AUCU THIN-FILMS GROWN ON AU(001)

The L1(0) ordering of thin epitaxial films having a (001) surface norm al subject to elastic constraints imposed by a similarly oriented subs trate has been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Thi n AuNi films grown by MBE at room temperature on Au(001) by means of t he alternating deposition of Au and Ni are found to possess a L1(0) st ructure free of periodic antiphase boundaries when growth is controlle d in such a way as to ensure that the quantity of Au or Ni deposited i s almost exactly equal to one monolayer. If such control is not exerci sed during growth, a structure having periodic antiphase boundaries is formed. This behaviour stands in contrast to that of AuCu during room temperature MBE growth on Au(001), where a strongly ordered L1(0) str ucture free of antiphase boundaries is formed even on the codeposition of Au and Cu. The effect of elastic constraints on the state of order in an alloy film which undergoes an L1(0) order-disorder transition i s examined as a function of temperature, lattice mismatch, and film th ickness within the context of a model which allows for the introductio n of dislocations in order to relieve misfit strain. Calculations are performed in detail for the case of AuCu, where particular attention i s paid to the coupling between film thickness, the number of misfit di slocations present at equilibrium, and the state of order. Copyright ( C) 1996 Acta Metallurgica Inc.