Atomistic Processes in the Early Stages of Thin-Film Growth
Zhenyu Zhang,
Max G. Lagally
Growth of thin films from atoms deposited from the gas phase is
intrinsically a nonequilibrium phenomenon governed by a competition between kinetics and thermodynamics. Precise control of the growth and
thus of the properties of deposited films becomes possible only after
an understanding of this competition is achieved. Here, the atomic
nature of the most important kinetic mechanisms of film growth is
explored. These mechanisms include adatom diffusion on terraces, along
steps, and around island corners; nucleation and dynamics of the stable
nucleus; atom attachment to and detachment from terraces and islands;
and interlayer mass transport. Ways to manipulate the growth kinetics
in order to select a desired growth mode are briefly addressed.
Z. Y. Zhang is a research staff member in the Solid State
Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6032,
USA. E-mail: Zhangz{at}ornl.gov. M. G. Lagally is the E.W. Mueller
Professor in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and
Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. E-mail:
Lagally{at}engr.wisc.edu
