MONTE-CARLO SIMULATION OF NUCLEATION AND GROWTH OF THIN-FILMS

We study thin film growth using a lattice-gas, solid-on-solid model em ploying the Monte Carlo technique. The model is applied to chemical va pour deposition (CVD) by including the rate of arrival of the precurso r molecules and their dissociation. We include several types of migrat ion energies including the edge migration energy which allows the diff usive movement of the monomer along the interface of the growing film, as well as a migration energy which allows for motion transverse to t he interface. Several well-known features of thin film growth are mimi cked by this model, including some features of thin copper films grown by CVD. Other features reproduced are-compact clusters, fractal-like clusters, Frank-van der Merwe layer-by-layer growth and Volmer-Weber i sland growth. This method is applicable to film growth both by CVD and by physical vapour deposition (PVD).