NUMERICAL-CALCULATION OF EQUILIBRIUM CRITICAL THICKNESS IN STRAINED-LAYER EPITAXY

We calculate by numerical integration the energy of a strained layer i n an infinite isotropic continuous elastic medium with and without a m isfit dislocation dipole of pure edge character. The equilibrium criti cal thickness is the thickness at which these energies are the same. S olving for a range of values of misfit strain, we compare the results with some versions of the existing approximate models, and we are ther eby able to indicate the best analytic expressions to use to predict e quilibrium critical thickness.