Related papers: Influence of adatom interactions on second layer n…
We develop a theory of nucleation on top of two-dimensional islands bordered by steps with an additional energy barrier $\Delta E_S$ for descending atoms. The theory is based on the concept of the residence time of an adatom on the…
We describe a theoretical study of the role of adsorbate interactions in island nucleation and growth, using Ag/Pt(111) heteroepitaxy as an example. From density-functional theory, we obtain the substrate-mediated Ag adatom pair interaction…
The epitaxial growth process of a high symmetry surface occurs because adatoms meet and nucleate new islands, that eventually coalesce and complete atomic layers. During multilayer growth, nucleation usually takes place on top of terraces…
We develop a theory for nucleation on top of islands in epitaxial growth based on the derivation of lifetimes and rates governing individual microscopic processes. These processes are strongly affected by the additional step edge barrier…
We consider irreversible second-layer nucleation that occurs when two adatoms on a terrace meet. We solve the problem analytically in one dimension for zero and infinite step-edge barriers, and numerically for any value of the barriers in…
The rate of second layer nucleation -- the formation of a stable nucleus on top of a two-dimensional island -- determines both the conditions for layer-by-layer growth, and the size of the top terrace of multilayer mounds in…
Motivated by recent research of Nikitin et al. (J.Phys.D vol. 49, 055301(2009)), we examine the effects of interatomic interactions on adatom surface diffusion. By using a mean-field approach in the random walk problem, we derive a…
The formation of stable dimers on top of terraces during epitaxial growth is investigated in detail. In this paper we focus on mean-field theory, the standard approach to study nucleation. Such theory is shown to be unsuitable for the…
Nucleation on top of two-dimensional islands with step edge barriers is investigated using scaling arguments. The nucleation rate is expressed in terms of three basic time scales: The time interval between deposition events, the residence…
We consider a model to describe stable configurations in epitaxial growth of crystals in the two dimensional case, and in the regime of linearized elasticity. The novelty is that the model also takes into consideration the adatom density on…
The effects of a surfactant on two-dimensional pattern formation in epitaxial growth are explored theoretically using a simple model, in which an adatom becomes immobile only after overcoming a large energy barrier as it exchanges positions…
Adatom incorporation into the ``faceted'' steps bordering the 2D nanoislands is analyzed. The step permeability and incorporation coefficients are derived for some typical growth situations. It is shown that the step consisting of…
There is a close relation between the problems of second layer nucleation in epitaxial crystal growth and chemical surface reactions, such as hydrogen recombination, on interstellar dust grains. In both cases standard rate equation analysis…
We study irreversible dimer nucleation on top of terraces during epitaxial growth in one and two dimensions, for all values of the step-edge barrier. The problem is solved exactly by transforming it into a first passage problem for a random…
We study the dynamics of island nucleation in the presence of adsorbates using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of a two-species growth model. Adatoms (A-atoms) and impurities (B-atoms) are codeposited, diffuse and aggregate subject to…
The results of a density-functional-theory study of the formation energies of (100)- and (111)-faceted steps on the Pt(111) surface, as well as of the barrier for diffusion of an adatom on the flat surface, are presented. The step formation…
We discuss effects of the different chemical bondings on the island morphology and on the island density scaling in two-component submonolayer growth. Different regimes depending on the strength of the mutual interactions and on the…
Adsorbate engineering offers a seemingly simple approach to tailor spin-orbit interactions in atomically thin materials and thus to unlock the much sought-after topological insulating phases in two dimensions. However, the observation of an…
An extended elastic eigenvector approach for adatom interactions is applied to elastically isotropic substrates. The oscillating interactions between adatom monomers or dimers are caused by strain fields in the substrate. Expansive or…
We present a model in which pit nucleation in thin films is considered to arise from a near-equilibrium nucleation process. In this model the adatom concentration plays a central role in controlling the morphological development of the…