Abstract
We computed by a Monte Carlo method, derived from the solid on solid model, the evolution during thermal treatment of a polycrystalline thin film deposited on a substrate with no further deposition. Two types of substrates have been studied: a single crystalline substrate with no defects and a single crystalline substrate with defects. We obtain islands which are either flat (i.e., with a height which does not overcome a given value) or grow in height like narrow towers. The numerical results have been qualitatively compared with experimental data: the fragmentation after thermal treatment of an yttria stabilized zirconia thin film deposited on an substrate. A good agreement was found regarding the morphology of simulated and experimental nanoislands.
- Received 12 December 2005
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.74.075411
©2006 American Physical Society