Spatial arrangements of nano-islands (quantum dots) on the free surface of a composite 2-layer substrate containing misfit dislocations of edge type were examined theoretically. It was shown that the elastic interaction between misfit dislocations and nano-islands was capable of causing coagulation of the islands. Such coagulation was shown to be favourable when the upper-layer thickness was below a critical thickness. An analytical form of this thickness was presented for the case of a 4-to-1 correspondence between nano-islands and cells of the misfit dislocation network.

Nano-Islands on a Composite Substrate with Misfit Dislocations. I.A.Ovidko, A.G.Sheinerman: Applied Physics A, 2002, 74[2], 273-7