Energies for incoherent films: an analytical approach

Abstract

This work discusses the role of interfacial energy for problems involving an epitaxial layer on a rigid substrate. Using the calculus of variations, resulting microstructures are determined for a large class of interfacial energies; the qualitative features of these microstructures demonstrate a strong dependence on the smoothness and convexity of the energy. This work is meant to provide insight into deciding appropriate energies for a large class of incoherent interfaces.