Abstract
The theory of adatom diffusion and capture by growing nuclei is fundamental to many current theoretical descriptions of thin film nucleation and growth. In order to test this theory against experimental measurements it is applied to the one dimensional case of adatom capture by linear sinks such as surface steps. The expected adatom density profiles are calculated and from these the predicted nucleus density profiles are determined. This is done recognising that the nucleation rate is proportional to a given power of the local adatom density and that growing nuclei themselves modify the adatom profiles. Nucleus profiles are calculated for a range of deposition times and substrate temperatures, for gold depositing onto sodium chloride crystal surfaces. The predicted profiles are compared with measured nucleus densities. The degree of agreement substantiates the use of the diffusion theory approach to thin film nucleation and growth.
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