Past exam of the MPhil in micro- and nanotechnology enterprise course of the University of Cambridge / 2022 / Paper 2 / Section A(iii) / 18 / iii

An asymmetric film with a B-preferring substrate must have an A-preferring atmosphere interface. A parallel stack with half-integer thickness $2.5L_0$ can terminate correctly at both surfaces. For equal block widths, one explicit sequence from bottom to top isThe thicknesses add to $2.5L_0$, with $1.25L_0$ of each block. B contacts the substrate and A contacts the atmosphere, as shown in the accompanying schematic. The alternating widths in the interior reflect half-period domains, while the terminal domains are half of an interior domain in this idealized construction.