SIZE EFFECTS IN NUCLEATION AND GROWTH-PROCESSES FROM PREFORMED SOFT-LANDED CLUSTERS

Nucleation and growth have been studied on a cluster scale for preform ed antimony clusters soft landed on an amorphous carbon substrate. It is shown how incident cluster size is a good parameter in monitoring i ndependently the average island size and island density at room temper ature. By exploiting the decrease of cluster mobility as the cluster s ize increases, we observe that, superimposed to a narrowing of the sup ported island distribution, the average island size distribution shift s down, presents a minimum, and increases.