A brief review was presented of a new approach to the equilibrium theory of strain relaxation in metastable heteroepitaxial semiconductor structures. This included elastic interactions between straight misfit dislocations, and lattice mismatch accommodation via tetragonal distortion of the cubic lattice cells. This approach provided an equilibrium theory which correctly predicted the critical strained-layer thickness and completely described strain-relief via plastic flow, and the phenomenon of work-hardening in lattice-mismatched epilayers.

Strain Relaxation in Semiconductor Heterostructures. A.Fischer, H.Kuhne: Modern Physics Letters B, 1995, 9[11-12], 655-64