How the nonrandom distribution of nuclei affects the island density in thin-film growth

We propose a scheme of rate equations for stable dimers that permits the description quite satisfactorily of the evolution of the number of islands in the entire range of surface coverage. The characteristic time for coalescence and the capture number are computed through a stochastic approach for both random and nonrandom arrangements of nuclei. Rate equations are applied to describe kinetic Monte Carlo simulations previously published, in the whole range of surface coverages. It is found that to reproduce the simulation, the effect of the nonrandomicity of the nuclei distribution must be taken into account. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.