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Solid-on-Solid Monte Carlo Investigation of Islanding Kinetics During Heteroepitaxy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

Ken Payne  and
Jeff Drucker
Ken Payne
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Science
Jeff Drucker
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Materials Research Institute University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968
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Abstract

We have investigated the kinetics of islanding during heteroepitaxy using a solid-on-solid Monte Carlo (SOS-MC) simulation. We simulate deposition by randomly depositing atoms onto a square grid with periodic boundary conditions. Arrhenius surface diffusion kinetics are dependent on the sum of a surface energy barrier (Ed) and the number of nearest neighbors multiplied by an adatom interaction strength (Eb). We confine growth to the first layer above the simple cubic substrate and investigate coverages < 1/2 monolayer. We monitor the evolution of film microstructure by producing island size distributions and plots which compare a cluster's area to perimeter ratio with that of a circle. We find that our simulation qualitatively correlates with results of classical film nucleation theory. A simple model is used to demonstrate the existence of a 'probabilistic nucleation barrier'.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 399: Symposium D – Evolution of Epitaxial Structure and Morphology , 1995 , 53
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1996

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References

REFERENCES

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5 This is shown by simply counting up the number of perimeter atoms with 2 or 3 nearest neighbors for islands of radius r and fitting to a straight line.Google Scholar