Growth kinetics of thin films formed by nucleation during layer formation

A kinetic model of thin-film growth on a solid surface is investigated. This model is valid in the case where the layers are formed as a result of two-dimensional nucleation. Under conditions of high supersaturation of a gaseous phase, solutions are obtained for an island-size distribution function at the initial stage of growth, the degree of filling of a substrate by islands at the coalescence stage, the vertical-growth rate of a film, and its surface roughness. These solutions express the structural characteristics of a growing film in terms of physical constants (the interphase energy on the gas-solid interface and the activation barriers of diffusion and desorption) of the system and the growth parameters (the surface temperature and the material-deposition rate). The obtained results make it possible to calculate the growth dynamics for thin films in particular systems. (c) 2005 Pleiades Publishing, Inc.