Finite element modelling of strain-layer mesa structures shows that edge effects can contribute to the relaxation of in-plane misfit stress. Calculations were performed for a 200 nm thick layer of Si90Ge10 grown epitaxially on an <001> Si substrate which was patterned into 400-nm-high mesas ranging in diameter from 0.6 to 7 μm. These calculations were experimentally investigated using plan-view TEM to study relaxation in patterned and unpatterned material. This composition and film thickness exceeds the critical thickness predicted using simple strain energy considerations. In one experiment, an initially defect-free 200-nm-thick Si90Ge10 layer was annealed at 960°C for 1 hr to create a nearly fully relaxed layer which was then lithographically patterned into an array of sub-micron mesas. The wafer was then annealed for a second time and changes in the character of die pre-existing dislocations were studied.