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Nucleation and Growth of Thin Films

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Surface Mobilities on Solid Materials

Part of the book series: NATO Advanced Science Institutes Series ((NSSB,volume 86))

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe the basic physical processes involved in the nucleation and growth of thin films of materials on solid surfaces. In this introduction the three modes of crystal growth which are thought to occur on surfaces in the absence of interdiffusion are described, and the relationships between the thermodynamics of adsorption and the kinetics of crystal growth are explored in general terms. This is followed by a brief review of atomistic nucleation theory, explaining the relations of such theories to experimental observables. In the next three sections, recent experimental examples of these three growth modes are given, which are interpreted where possible in terms of nucleation and growth theory. The last section discusses observations on the shapes of growing crystallites and the relation of such observations to nucleation and surface diffusion processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Sussex, BN1 9QH, Falmer, Brighton, Sussex, England

    J. A. Venables & G. D. T. Spiller

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  1. J. A. Venables
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  1. Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, Villeurbanne, France

    Vu Thien Binh

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Venables, J.A., Spiller, G.D.T. (1983). Nucleation and Growth of Thin Films. In: Binh, V.T. (eds) Surface Mobilities on Solid Materials. NATO Advanced Science Institutes Series, vol 86. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4343-1_16

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