Elastic-energy relaxation in heterostructures with strained nanoinclusions

Elastic-energy relaxation in systems with nanoinclusions is considered. The relaxation is related to the formation of the following dislocation loops: a single misfit dislocation loop or a group of such loops on the matrix-nanoinclusion interface and/or a satellite dislocation loop near the inclusion. The critical inclusion sizes beginning from which misfit dislocation loops and satellite dislocation loops can nucleate are determined for various models of relaxation processes. The dependences of the satellite-dislocation-loop diameter on the inclusion size are calculated and compared with experimental data.