A kinetic Monte Carlo study on the role of defects and detachment in the formation growth of in chains on Si(100)

Issue Date

10-2009

Abstract

Deposition on a Si(100) surface and subsequent self-assembly of In atoms into one-dimensional (1D) atomic chains at room temperature is investigated via kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of a suitable atomistic model. Model development is guided by recent experimental observations in which 1D In chains nucleate effectively exclusively at C-type defects, although In atoms can detach from chains. We find that a monotonically decreasing form of the scaled island size distribution (ISD) is consistent with a high defect density which facilitates persistent chain nucleation even at relatively high coverages. The predominance of heterogeneous nucleation may be attributed to several factors including low surface diffusion barriers, a high defect density, and relatively weak In-In binding. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Source or Periodical Title

Journal of Physics Condensed Matter

ISSN

0953-8984

Volume

21

Issue

40

Page

1-8

Document Type

Article

Physical Description

illustrations, tables, graphs

Language

English

Identifier

doi:10.1088/0953-8984/21/40/405002.

Digital Copy

yes

Link to Full Text

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