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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
The origin of the crosshatched morphology very often observed, for instance in the case of InGaAs on GaAs, is studied theoretically. The calculations are performed on the basis of a microscopic valence force field model.The force on an adatom induced by a periodic array of widely spaced dislocations is first determined. This is found to be attractive, in agreement with a previous classical elasticity description. Total energies of ridges are then calculated showing increased stability due to the misfit dislocations. The importance of the surface tension for the shape of the ridges is discussed. The results are finally compared to experimental evidence.