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Nirand Pisutha-ArnondEmail: nirand@umich.eduAdvisor: Katsuyo Thornton Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, 2005 I am using the phase-field model to investigate morphological changes in heteroepitaxial thin film systems during self-assembly growth. The undulation of the surface to relieve misfit strain gives rise to what is known as quantum dots, which hold potentials for optoelectronic applications. Also, I am studying the energetics of misfit dislocations which is another important strain-relief mechanism during the heteroepitaxial growth of material systems with high lattice mismatches. An example of these systems are self-assembled iron film grown on molybdenum or tungsten, which can potentially be used in high density magnetic recording devices. |