Surface diffusion kinetics on amorphous silicon

We obtain parameters for self-diffusion on the amorphous silicon surface by reanalyzing kinetic data for the formation of hemispherical grained silico n (HSG) previously published by another laboratory [J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 11 (1993) 2950]. Our mathematical model for individual HSG grain growth per mits extraction of diffusivities for overall mass transport, and to our kno wledge yields the first numbers for temperature-dependent self-diffusion on any amorphous surface. The activation energy for mass transfer diffusion i s lower than that previously measured for crystalline Si(111). (C) 2001 Els evier Science B.V, All rights reserved.