The generation of prismatic dislocation loops in strained quantum dots was investigated. The dots were embedded in a film–substrate heterostructure, with mechanical stresses that were caused by the difference between the lattice parameters of the film (heterolayer) and the substrate. The intrinsic plastic strain of a quantum dot arose from the misfit between the lattice parameters of the material of the quantum dot and of the surrounding matrix. The interface between the heterolayer and the substrate was characterized by a misfit parameter. The critical radius of a quantum dot, at which the generation of a dislocation loop in the dot became energetically favorable, was analyzed as a function of the intrinsic plastic strain and the misfit parameter.

Generation of Dislocation Loops in Strained Quantum Dots Embedded in a Heterolayer. A.L.Kolesnikova, A.E.Romanov: Physics of the Solid State, 2004, 46[9], 1644-8