Height transitions, shape evolution, and coarsening of equilibrating quantum nanoislands

Abstract

Morphology evolution and coarsening of metal nanoislands is computed within the framework of a surface diffusion-type model that includes the effects of the electron energy confinement within the film, the charge spillage at the film/substrate interface, the energy anisotropy of the film surface and the surface stress. The conditions that result in large islands with flat tops, steep edges, and strongly preferred heights are determined. A strong influence of the film height on the coarsening dynamics and final morphologies is found; the conditions leading to interrupted coarsening are highlighted. The dependence of the geometric parameters of the equilibrium island on the film height and on the island initial volume is computed.

arXiv commentAccepted for publication in Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering

References in corpus (3)

• Sharp interface model for solid-state dewetting problems with weakly anisotropic surface energies
• Stability of a strongly anisotropic thin epitaxial film in a wetting interaction with elastic substrate
• Interplay of Quantum Size Effect, Anisotropy and Surface Stress Shapes the Instability of Thin Metal Films

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Morphologies, metastability and coarsening of quantum nanoislands on the surfaces of the annealed Ag(110) and Pb(111) thin films