NUCLEATION AND GROWTH OF ADSORBED LAYER - SELF-CONSISTENT APPROACH BASED ON KOLMOGOROV-AVRAMI MODEL

The kinetic model for the growth of adsorbed monolayer is developed in order to describe the growth process beginning from the initial stage of nucleation up to the formation of a continuous film. The nucleation of clusters on the uncovered substrate region is studied within the frame of kinetic theory of condensation. Direct coalescence of clusters is described by means of Kolmogoroff-Avrami model for two-dimensional crystallization. The basic self-consistent equation for the dynamics of adatom supersaturation is derived. Numerical solutions for supersaturation, mean substrate coverage, boundary perimeter, and total number of clusters are obtained. Depending on the numerical value of the governing parameter, three known experimental growth modes are determined. In the regime of incomplete condensation the analytical solutions for the basic kinetic and morphological characteristics of the growing layer are obtained, which are in agreement with numerical results.