Surface stabilized layer of a surface drying phase

Surface stabilized phases in the case of ordered media with two competing order parameters describing two distinct phases, stable in different temperature ranges, are investigated. If the lower temperature phase is destabilized at the substrate, and if there is a coupling between the two order parameters, we show that the surface drying phase might form a layer close to the substrate. This behavior is investigated for a semi-infinite sample and for a sample in the shape of a slab of thickness d. It is shown that one of the order parameters presents a maximum close to the surface.