It was recalled that crystalline thin films had mechanical properties that could not be predicted on the basis of bulk scaling laws. Due to their importance, a great deal of effort had gone into modelling and simulating the behaviours of dislocations in thin films. The successes and failures of modelling dislocations in thin films via analytical techniques, 2-dimensional dislocation dynamics simulations, and 3-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics simulations were reviewed. Brief considerations of phase field models and level set methods were also included. The unique importance of 3-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics simulations was highlighted, as these simulations permitted the study of realistic dislocation behaviour that was otherwise difficult or impossible to observe. The utility of 3-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics in discovering the mechanisms that controlled deformation in films was demonstrated, and first steps towards construction of a strain hardening model based upon those mechanisms were described.

Simulation of Dislocations and Strength in Thin Films - a Review. R.S.Fertig, S.P.Baker: Progress in Materials Science, 2009, 54[6], 874-908