Image processing-based domain-matching simulation for heteroepitaxy

Abstract

Heteroepitaxy of functional thin films on single-crystal substrates is one of the most general themes in electronic materials research. Here, we propose an algorithm based on image processing for the rapid simulation of heteroepitaxial relationships. The superposition and rotation of various lattice plane images of the film and substrate, which were automatically generated from the crystal structure, rapidly verified all domain matching patterns. Furthermore, the comprehensive validation allowed us to discuss domain matching from multiple perspectives, such as mismatch, matching period, and density of matching lattice points. Therefore, the proposed algorithm will contribute to materials informatics, streamlining a wide range of materials research for functional thin films.