Computer Simulation of Early Stage in Thin-Film Growth

Nucleation and growth process has been studied on atomic scale for the early stage of thin-film growth by means of computer simulation. The island number and its shape vary with a set of control conditions, such as deposition flux R, surface diffusion rate W and coverage. The kinetic parameters p and q obtained from simulation are positive and dependent on the growth process. The transition from the initial steps of nucleation to growth is also explored. The simulation results are consistent with the experiments and the rate equations from nucleation theory.