Publication #157
Nucleation calculations in a pair-binding model
J. A. Venables,
Physical Review B36 (1987) 4153-4162.
Abstract
Calculations of the nucleation and growth of thin films are presented. These atomistic
calculations depend on adsorption (Ea), diffusion (Ed), and
lateral binding (Eb) energies. A simplified pair binding model of small
two-dimensional clusters is used to make the calculations explicit for layer-plus-island
(or Stranski-Krastanov) growth systems. Within such a model it is found that at least a
crude (Einstein) representation of surface vibrations is needed to make reasonable
predictions at low supersaturation. The calculations are applied to extract parameter
values from nucleation and growth experiments on Ag/W(110), Ag/Mo(100), Ag/Si(111) and
Ag/Si(100), and for rare gases onto various (plated) substrates. Comments are made about
the parameters obtained for such systems, and about the role of surface crystallography
and defects.
Note: the formulae given on pages 4154-4156 spell this model out, including the role of
vibrations, and the way in which the cricical nucleus size is determined as an
output of, and not an input to the calculation. Although the application in
this paper is to SK growth on an intermediate layer, the same formulae can be used
for 2D submonolayer growth on the original substrate. Closely related formulae work for
3D island growth, in line with formulae given previously in our
1984 Rep. Prog. Phys. article.
Latest version of this document: 11 April 2000.