Stranski-Krastanow Growth on a Strained Magnetic Film

Abstract

The effects of magnetic fields on the morphological stability of strained film-substrate system against the formation of islands are investigated by considering the total energy change during the formation process, which includes the strain, surface and magnetostatic energy. It is found that a sufficiently strong magnetic field can cause the Stranski-Krastanow (SK) growth in the system where the flat film is stable against island formation until the film thickness reaches a critical value. A unique feature of the magnetic-field-induced SK growth is the capability to produce islands that are stable against size variation. This is in contrast to the coarsening of islands in typical SK systems observed in experiments. The result suggests that the lateral magnetic field is a suitable mechanism to control the SK growth.