Monte Carlo simulation of epitaxial growth on a (111) layer with mismatch

A high-temperature deposition of adatoms on a substrate with or without lattice mismatch from -10% to +10%, followed by slow cooling to a given temperature, is simulated by means of a Monte Carlo algorithm with Lennard-Jones interatomic pair potentials. Stranski-Krastanov growth is always observed with a lateral island size controlled by the lattice mismatch, while the deposition mode acts strongly on the island slope. Complete healing of the island structure never occurs before the tenth layer. The interlayer distance undergoes oscillations as a function of the layer number. This is observed for a +/-10% mismatch as well as for a -5% mismatch.