Atomic-scale analysis of defect dynamics and strain relaxation mechanisms in biaxially strained ultrathin films of face-centered cubic metals

The strain relaxation mechanisms and the associated defect dynamics in ultrathin Cu films subjected to a broad range of biaxial tensile strains are analyzed. The studies have shown that due to the defect mechanisms, nanoscale domains are formed in the crystalline film with an average domain size and low-angle misorientations.