Dependence of thin-film microstructure on deposition rate by means of a computer simulation

Abstract

A computer simulation is employed to demonstrate, in a two-dimensional growth model, that a vapor-deposited thin film of low adatom mobility undergoes a sudden change from a porous columnar microstructure to a densely packed film if the substrate temperature is increased to a certain value. The temperature where this structural transition occurs is shown to be related to the lower boundary temperature of the empirical structure-zone model. The dependence of the transition temperature and range on the vapor deposition rate is discussed.