Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Molecular Dynamics computer simulations were used to explore a number of complex phenomena that occur during film growth and ion-surface interactions. A few examples are discussed. (1) Strong surface patterns develop when a Mo film is grown on a Mo(110) substrate, whereas they are absent for Mo on Mo(100). (2) Depositing a Mo film on a substrate containing two antiparallel (100)/(910) grain boundaries leads to complicated film morphologies in the grain boundary regions. Stresses, mosaic spread, and regions of fcc Mo are observed, and their stability is examined. (3) Cu films deposited on a Mo(110) substrate, a model system for interconnects in modern IC technology, are affected by the strong fcc/bcc interface mismatch. The Cu film properties are analyzed for thermally evaporated films and for films grown by argon ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD).