Non-monotonous dependences of thin film surface roughness on substrate temperature and deposited atom flux

Abstract

Experimentally observed non-monotonous dependences of thin films surface roughness on substrate temperature and flux of deposited atoms are analysed by kinetic rate equation model. The modelling results show good qualitative agreement with the experiment and explain an unusual phenomenon of surface roughness. It is shown that non-monotonous dependence of surface roughness on substrate temperature and deposition flux is determined by the size of islands and diffusivity of atoms on the surface. From present analysis it follows that the formation mechanisms of non-monotonous dependences of the surface roughness on temperature and deposition flux are of different origin. The mechanisms are qualitatively analysed in the present paper.
Keywords: surface roughness, island films deposition, surface diffusion, kinetic modelling
PACS: 81.15.Aa, 82.20.Wt