Analysis of thin film growth using finite element method

The properties and the performance of epitaxial semiconductor thin films depend on the stress-state and the defect structure in the film. When the film is grown layer by layer, the accumulated elastic strain energy due to misfit strain between the substrate and the film is partially released by the formation of misfit dislocations at a threshold thickness. This investigation pertains to finite element analysis of the stress-state in epitaxial thin films as a function of the thickness and the release of the elastic energy by dislocation nucleation. To begin with, stress contours associated with the epitaxial growth and the nucleation of the dislocation are studied independently and the results are compared with the available analytical and experimental data. Subsequently, the above two are combined to analyze the effective potential energy state of the system. Essentially, the energy minimization process that involves accommodation of the misfit strains at a threshold film thickness is studied.