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Formation of complex wedding-cake morphologies during homoepitaxial film growth of Ag on Ag(111): atomistic, step-dynamics, and continuum modeling

TitleFormation of complex wedding-cake morphologies during homoepitaxial film growth of Ag on Ag(111): atomistic, step-dynamics, and continuum modeling
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2009
AuthorsLi MZ, Han Y, Thiel PA, Evans JW
Journal TitleJournal of Physics-Condensed Matter
Volume21
Pages084216
Date Published02/25
ISBN Number0953-8984
Accession NumberISI:000262897400017
Keywordsby-layer growth, epitaxy, interlayer mass-transport, island nucleation, metal-surfaces, mounds, self-diffusion, shape
Abstract

An atomistic lattice-gas model is developed which successfully describes all key features of the complex mounded morphologies which develop during deposition of Ag films on Ag(111) surfaces. We focus on this homoepitaxial thin film growth process below 200 K. The unstable multilayer growth mode derives from the presence of a large Ehrlich-Schwoebel step-edge barrier, for which we characterize both the step-orientation dependence and the magnitude. Step-dynamics modeling is applied to further characterize and elucidate the evolution of the vertical profiles of these wedding-cake-like mounds. Suitable coarse-graining of these step-dynamics equations leads to instructive continuum formulations for mound evolution.
URL<Go to ISI>://000262897400017
DOI10.1088/0953-8984/21/8/084216