SURFACE-DIFFUSION OF CLUSTERS AND THIN-FILM GROWTH

An analogy between the behavior of real gases and the behavior of clus ters deposited on a surface has been established. A relation similar t o the Van der Waals equation was used, with the variables correspondin g to the deposition process. It was found that the critical parameters and the Boyle temperature of the substrate define the conditions of a particular nucleation and of the thin film growth mode and the condit ions when one growth mode converts to the other. It has been shown tha t the introduced analogy is in a good agreement with the recent experi ments of nucleation and growth of thin films. The applicability of the proposed analogy to the epitaxial growth and surface sputtering has b een discussed.