MODELING OF EPITAXIAL-GROWTH

Some applications of molecular dynamics simulations to thin film epitaxy are described. Simulation methods have been devised to obtain: (i) the ground-state configurations assumed by films at low temperatures; (ii) equilibrium configurations at high temperatures; (iii) the kinetics of thin film deposition. These simulations can explain the diverse morphologies or growth modes observed when films are deposited with different values of the substrate temperature, incidence angle of the molecular beam, and misfit between film and substrate. Simulations of the deposition of silicon films were performed on a special-purpose computer ATOMS that we constructed. © 1990.