The Effect of Deposition Method on Growth Morphology - Comparison of Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Ion Beam Assisted Deposition and Sputter Deposition

Abstract

AbstractThin films created by the deposition or under influence of atoms with hyperthermal energies (E = 100 -104eV) exhibit properties which differ in many respects from those of films created by deposition of atoms with thermal energy. The morphologies of thin Pt-films deposited on Pt(111) under otherwise identical deposition conditions by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) and sputter deposition (SD) differ in film structure size, island shapes and film roughness. The different film structure sizes are unambiguously traced back to two different island formation mechanisms inherent to these deposition methods. While in MBE the islands result from nucleation in a supersaturated adatom gas, in IBAD and SD they result by direct or indirect creation of adatom clusters as a consequence of single impacts of energetic atoms present in the depositing particle flux. The differences in film roughness are not only due to the different island formation mechanisms, but seem to be closely related to the different step edge structures at the growth front.