Nucleation and Growth Mechanisms in Hetero-Epitaxial Films
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NUCLEATION AND GROWTH MECHANISMS IN HETERO-EPITAXIAL FILMS J.A. VENABLES*#, J.S. DRUCKER*, M. KRISHNAMURTHY*, G. RAYNERD# AND T. DOUST#+ *Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA #School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BNl 90H, England +Present address: Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO 5DD, England ABSTRACT Nucleation and growth mechanisms in the formation of heteroepitaxial films are reviewed. The various processes can be incorporated into rate equations to model the number density and size distribution of clusters. Recent work on extensions of this approach to include the effect of surface steps and other surface imperfections is highlighted. The most important processes are being studied experimentally using a combination of surface-analytic and -microscopic techniques, based on SEM and STEM instrumentation. Recent examples are given in which nucleation densities, surface diffusion lengths and the effects of steps have been studied in the systems Ag/Si(lll) and Ge/Si(lO0). INTRODUCTION The classification of growth modes on a thermodynamic basis identifies surface energies (y) as an important material parameter. In the growth of A on B, we should obtain layer or island growth according to whether yA+y*
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