Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 01770, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Sep 7;109(10):106102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.106102.
Using real-time grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray scattering, we find that the processes of island formation and coalescence during the room-temperature vapor phase deposition of aluminum lead to dynamical scaling of the evolving surface morphology. The scaling is quantitatively consistent with the self-similarity predicted by the Family-Meakin model, which was developed to describe liquid droplet deposition, growth, and coalescence. The Family-Meakin model assumes only that atomic diffusion over the substrate between islands or droplets is negligible and that diffusion between impinging islands or droplets is sufficient to give complete coalescence. Therefore the dynamical scaling morphology evolution identified here may be common in the initial stages of those solid film growth processes which proceed by island formation and growth.
利用实时掠入射小角 X 射线散射，我们发现，在室温下的气相沉积铝的过程中，岛的形成和合并导致了不断变化的表面形态的动态标度。这种标度与 Family-Meakin 模型所预测的自相似性定量一致，该模型是为描述液滴沉积、生长和合并而开发的。Family-Meakin 模型仅假设在岛或液滴之间的衬底上的原子扩散可以忽略不计，并且在撞击的岛或液滴之间的扩散足以实现完全合并。因此，这里确定的动态标度形态演化可能在那些通过岛的形成和生长进行的固体薄膜生长过程的初始阶段中很常见。
