A local interaction simulation approach to the analysis of thin-film growth

Several models have been developed for studying growth patterns and the for mation of rough surfaces and interfaces. An analytical treatment of these m odels, leading to a prediction of the time evolution of the system, is, how ever, usually inadequate to describe the properties of the bulk of the depo sited film. As a consequence, numerical simulations become the only viable alternative. In this contribution we present st preliminary model, based on the local interaction simulation approach, for the description of thin sem iconducting films growth. The proposed approach allows us to include in the model all kinds of local mechanisms and/or non-trivial boundary conditions . A few numerical results are presented, showing good qualitative agreement with experimental data. Reliable simulations with a very good resolution m ay be performed in a reasonable central processing unit time, if parallel p rocessing is adopted.