Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T02:29:01.907Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

“Novel Mechanisms on the Growth Morphology of Films“

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2011

T.-M. Lu
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 12180–3590
Y.-P. Zhao
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 12180–3590
J.T. Drotar
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 12180–3590
T. Karabacak
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 12180–3590
G.-C. Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 12180–3590
Get access

Abstract

Random surface roughness very often can occur during the growth or etching of films under non-equilibrium conditions. Several competing mechanisms such as noise, surface diffusion, and shadowing all play a role in the evolution of surface roughness. However, recent results obtained in many growth and etching processes exhibit an unusual tendency: the morphology is very rough where it is expected to be smooth and vice versa. The origin, we believe, is due to the fact that during the deposition and etching processes the atoms very often do not stick to the surface upon their first strikes. Atoms actually bounce around before all settle on surface sites. This non-unity sticking probability can lead to a very rough surface during etching and a very smooth surface during sputter or chemical vapor deposition that cannot be explained by the conventional mechanisms.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Zhao, Y.-P., Wang, G.-C., and Lu, T.-M., “Characterization of Amorphous and Crystalline Rough Surfaces: Principles and Applications”, Academic Press, 2001.Google Scholar
Dynamics of Fractal Surfaces”, Ed. by Family, F. and Viscek, T., World Scientific, Singapore, 1991.Google Scholar
2. Barabasi, A.-L. and Stanley, H. E., “Fractal Concepts in Surface Growth”, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England, 1995.Google Scholar
3. Meakin, P., Fractals, Scaling, and Growth Far from Equilibrium, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998.Google Scholar
4. Data are collected from Refs. 3, 8, and 9.Google Scholar
5. Karunasiri, R.P.U., Bruinsma, R., and Rudnick, J., Phys. Rev. Lett. 62, 788 (1989).Google Scholar
6. Karabacak, T., Zhao, Y.-P., Wang, G.-C., and Lu, T.-M., Phys. Rev. B64, 085323 (2001).Google Scholar
7. Zhao, Y.-P., Drotar, Jason T., Wang, G.-C., and Lu, T.-M., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 136102–1 (2001);Google Scholar
8. Drotar, Jason T., Zhao, Y.-P., Lu, T.-M., and Wang, G.-C., Phys. Rev. B64, 125411 (2001).Google Scholar
9. Zhao, Y.-P., Drotar, Jason T., Wang, G.-C., and Lu, T.-M., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4882 (1999).Google Scholar
10. Brault, P., Dumas, P., and Salvan, F., J. Phys. Condens. Matter 10, L27 (1998);Google Scholar
Petri, R., Brault, P., Vatel, O., Henry, D., Andre, E., Dumas, P., and Salvan, F., J. Appl. Phys. 75, 7498 (1994).Google Scholar