HOMOEPITAXIAL GROWTH OF PT ON PT(100)-HEX - EFFECTS OF STRONGLY ANISOTROPIC DIFFUSION AND FINITE ISLAND SIZES

Nucleation and growth of Pt on the reconstructed Pt(100)-hex surface w as studied by scanning tunneling microscopy. A detailed autocorrelatio n analysis of island positions reveals direct evidence for strongly an isotropic diffusion, and from the island size distribution, which obey s a simple scaling relation, we conclude that the mobility of dimers i s negligible. Finally, kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, incorporating anisotropy in diffusion and finite island sizes, yield new insight int o how these two factors affect the island size distribution and the sc aling behavior of island density with temperature and deposition rate.