Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of nucleation on a surface with periodic strain: Spatial ordering and island-size distribution

We use kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to study nucleation of adsorbate isl ands on a solid surface on which a periodic strain field has been imposed. We show that, in spite of its very small effect on the diffusion constant o f the atoms, the field orders the ensemble of islands. Better ordering and a narrower size distribution are obtained when the ensemble of islands prod uced by nucleation is coarsened. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S 0003-6951(99)01633-2].