2009, Korzec, Maciek D., Evans, Peter L.

A continuum model for the growth of self-assembled quantum dots that incorporates surface diffusion, an elastically deformable substrate, wetting interactions and anisotropic surface energy is presented. Using a small slope approximation a thin film equation for the surface profile that describes facetted growth is derived. A linear stability analysis shows that anisotropy acts to destabilize the surface. It lowers the critical height of flat films and there exists an anisotropy strength above which all thicknesses are unstable. A numerical algorithm based on spectral differentiation is presented and simulation are carried out. These clearly show faceting of the growing islands and a logarithmically slow coarsening behavior.

2010, Korzec, Maciek Dominik, Rybka, Piotr

A convective Cahn-Hilliard type equation of sixth order that describes the faceting of a growing surface is considered with periodic boundary conditions. By using a Galerkin approach the existence of weak solutions to this sixth order partial differential equation is established in $L^2(0,T; dot H^3_per)$. Furthermore stronger regularity results have been derived and these are used to prove uniqueness of the solutions. Additionally a numerical study shows that solutions behave similarly as for the better known convective Cahn-Hilliard equation. The transition from coarsening to roughening is analyzed, indicating that the characteristic length scale decreases logarithmically with increasing deposition rate