Metastability modeling of compliant substrate critical thickness using experimental strain relief data

A metastability model for GaAs compliant substrates is developed using the compliant substrate partitioning formula and experimental strain relief data. The developed model agrees with compliant substrate strain relief data deduced from double crystal x-ray diffraction and indicates that, for a set of growth conditions and compliant substrate thicknesses, layers of ZnGaAs of any thickness can be grown free of dislocations. The model developed in this letter is also compared to other compliant substrate critical thickness models, and the authors discuss the mechanisms of partitioning in mismatched layers grown on compliant substrates. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.