Master's Defense: Sebastian R.R Husted

O-Lattice Interface Matching

In this thesis we present a model which can identify which orientation of two crystals would form well matched interfaces. Based on geometric interface matching we are able to identify certain orientations which in the context of epitaxial growth may lead to the formation of stable interfaces with few grain boundary defects as result. Due the purely geometric based approach of the model, the model is unable to determine whenever the desired interface match would be allowed by the growth kinetics that governs the exchange of atoms between grains in the film. The model presented here is highly useful under circumstances where we have an empirically founded idea of which out of plane orientations to expect.