The effect of strain on the solid-phase epitaxial re-growth process of patterned wafers was explored. Implants of 1015/cm2 Si+ with an energy of 40keV were introduced into these patterned regions forming a continuous amorphous layer. After implantation, the oxide and nitride masks were removed and the wafers stressed uniaxially between 0 and 250MPa. The wafers were subsequently annealed under stress to crystallize the amorphous layer, which was monitored using transmission electron microscopy. It was found that without stress, defects formed at the mask edge where the vertical and lateral epitaxial regrowth fronts meet. These defects were threading dislocations which form at the amorphous-crystalline interface and propagate to the surface. Tensile stress levels of as little as 50MPa were found to begin to suppress the formation of mask-edge defects by altering the shape of the corner of the regrowing amorphous layer at the mask edge. Tensile stress appears to retard the lateral recrystallization velocity, creating the obtuse corner geometry necessary to prevent the occurrence of a pinch point at the corner and thereby suppressing defect formation. The evidence suggested that the half-loop threading dislocation nucleates at the corner. The role of varying the stress on the formation of mask-edge defects was considered. Effect of Stress on the Evolution of Mask-Edge Defects in Ion-Implanted Silicon. C.R.Olson, E.Kuryliw, B.E.Jones, K.S.Jones: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, 2006, 24[1], 446-9