The energetics of point defects and diffusion in a single crystal were analyzed with respect to stress in overlying or encapsulating layers. The resultant theory subsumed previous formulations of pressure and stress effects upon diffusion. A key prediction was that stress on the overlayer-side of the crystal boundary perturbed point-defect concentrations in the underlying crystal. The effect could occur without significant strain in the crystal itself.

Diffusion in a Single Crystal within a Stressed Environment. N.E.Cowern: Physical Review Letters, 2007, 99[15], 155903