Thin Film Evolution Equation for a Strained Anisotropic Solid Film on a Deformable Isotropic Substrate

Abstract

We consider a continuum model for the evolution of an epitaxially-strained dislocation-free anisotropic thin solid film on isotropic deformable substrate in the absence of vapor deposition. By using a thin film approximation we derived a nonlinear evolution equation. We examined the nonlinear evolution equation and found that there is a critical film thickness below which every film thickness is stable and a critical wave number above which every film thickness is stable.