The phase separation of alloys around edge and screw dislocations was studied by using a continuum model. The compositional dependences of the lattice constant, bulk modulus, and shear modulus were shown to determine the distribution of the alloy components in the stress fields of the dislocations. Numerical simulation results were also presented for single dislocation lines, dislocation arrays, and random distributions of dislocations in bulk mixtures. The effects of dislocations upon phase separation at the surface of growing films was also considered. This showed that misfit dislocations could create a compositionally patterned layer. The equilibrium positions of misfit dislocations were also calculated for compositionally modulated over-layers, and it was shown that the critical thickness - for the introduction of dislocations - was decreased by compositional modulation.

Spinodal Decomposition and Dislocation Lines in Thin Films and Bulk Materials F.Léonard, R.C.Desai: Physical Review B, 1998, 58[13], 8277-88