Y. Pang and R. Huang, J. Applied Physics 101, 023519 (2007).

Surface instability of epitaxial thin films leads to a variety of surface patterns. Anisotropy in surface and bulk properties has profound effects on the dynamics of pattern formation. In this study, we theoretically predict that, under anisotropic mismatch stresses, a bifurcation of surface pattern occurs in addition to generic symmetry breaking from isotropic systems. Numerical simulations based on a nonlinear evolution equation demonstrate pattern selection at an early stage and nontrivial patterns for long-time evolution.

Time-dependent Ginzburg-Laudau (TDGL) equation is the simplest kinetic equation for the temporal evolution of a continuum field, which assumes that the rate of evolution of the field is linearly proportional to the thermodynamical driving force. The computation model based on this equation is also called phase field model. Phase field simulation can predict quite beautiful patterns of microstructures of material. It has been widely applied to simulating the evolution of microstructure by choosing different field variables. For example, using the single conserved field (concentration field), continuum phase field models has been employed to describe the pattern formation in phase-separating alloys (Nishimori and Onuki, 1990 Phys. Rev. B, 42,980) and the nanoscale pattern formation of an epitaxial monolayer (Lu and Suo, 2001 J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 49,1937). On the other hand, using the nonconserved field (polarization field), the phase field model has been utilized to simulating the formation of domain structure in ferroelectrics (Li et al. 2002  Acta Mater, 50,395). The thermodynamical driving force is usually nonlinear with respect to the field variable. In the case of nonlinearity, the solution to TDGL equation may not be unique. Different grid density, length of iteration step, initial state and random term (introduced to describe the nucleation process) may induce different results in the simulation. Does anyone investigate the effect of these factors on the final pattern? I wonder whether we can prove the solution is unique or not.       

Y. Pang and R. Huang, Physical Review B 74, 075413 (2006).

An epitaxial thin film can undergo surface instability and break up into discrete islands. The stress field and the interface interaction have profound effects on the dynamics of surface evolution. In this work, we develop a nonlinear evolution equation with a second-order approximation for the stress field and a nonlinear wetting potential for the interface. The equation is solved numerically in both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) configurations using a spectral method. The effects of stress and wetting are examined. It is found that the nonlinear stress field alone induces "blow-up" instability, leading to crack-like grooving in 2D and circular pit-like morphology in 3D. For thin films, the blow-up is suppressed by the wetting effect, leading to a thin wetting layer and an array of discrete islands. The dynamics of island formation and coarsening over a large area is well captured by the interplay of the nonlinear stress field and the wetting effect.