Crystalline thin films were produced on substrates of the same material by using a liquid-phase epitaxial method. The X-ray double-crystal diffraction technique was used to characterize the misfit strain in the films. An analysis of lattice parameter differences along the c-axis showed that films of almost stoichiometric composition could be grown onto substrates of the same material which had been prepared by using the Czochralski method. The use of X-ray topography revealed that the films had a lower dislocation density than did the substrate crystals. The surface morphology changed with increasing film thickness. Thicker films did not have a mirror surface, and hillocks with 3-fold symmetry appeared.

T.Hibiya, H.Suzuki, I.Yonenaga, S.Kimura, T.Kawaguchi, T.Shishido, T.Fukuda: Journal of Crystal Growth, 1994, 144[3-4], 213-7