DENDRITIC ISLANDS IN METAL-ON-METAL EPITAXY .1. SHAPE TRANSITIONS ANDDIFFUSION AT ISLAND EDGES

Authors
BARTELT MC EVANS JW
Citation
Mc. Bartelt et Jw. Evans, DENDRITIC ISLANDS IN METAL-ON-METAL EPITAXY .1. SHAPE TRANSITIONS ANDDIFFUSION AT ISLAND EDGES, Surface science, 314(1), 1994, pp. 120000829-120000834
Citations number
29
Categorie Soggetti
Chemistry Physical
Journal title
Surface science → ACNP
ISSN journal
00396028
Volume
314
Issue
1
Year of publication
1994
Pages
120000829 - 120000834
Database
ISI
SICI code
0039-6028(1994)314:1<120000829:DIIME.>2.0.ZU;2-U
Abstract
The development of dendritic island shape instabilities observed durin g metal-on-metal epitaxy is investigated via a lattice-gas model for t he low coverage regime. The key assumption is that island structure is controlled by the competition between shape equilibration due to adat om edge diffusion, and Mullins-Sekerka-type shape instability due to d iffusion-limited aggregation of adatoms with islands. From comparison with scanning tunneling microscopy data (for the island density and av erage width of dendritic arms), we advance estimates of the energy bar rier for edge diffusion in several systems.