STOCHASTIC APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF ATOMISTIC PROCESSES IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THIN-FILM GROWTH - 2 - ISLAND FORMATION

We draw upon the theoretical methods developed in the preceding contri bution to explore different mechanisms of island growth in the initial stages of the development of a thin film. In particular, we study the entropic consequences of assuming different sequences for generating a final nucleation pattern or island morphology on a finite, planar ar ray. Our calculations lead to the conclusion that the most entropicall y favorable process for island growth is one in which the morphology i s generated by a ''row-filling'' mechanism on a lattice with triangula r geometry.