Computer Simulation of Nucleation on Patterned Surfaces

Abstract

AbstractWe have studied qualitatively the effect of patterned substrate surface on adatom nucleation using Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and solid-on-solid model. The inhomogeneity in the activation energies of adatom diffusion was incorporated into the simulations using two models: a) periodic variation of the adatom–substrate interaction energy as a function of the adatom lateral position and b) adding a direction dependent and periodically varying diffusion barrier energy to the adatom diffusion activation energy. The effect of the patterned surface was clearly manifested as a confinement of nucleated islands and, consequently, narrowing the island size distribution. The effect was strong in a narrow temperature range.