THE GROWTH SIMULATION OF ABO₃ TYPE EPITAXIAL THIN FILMS

ABSTRACT

A modified solid on solid (SOS) model for the simulation of epitaxial growth of ABO₃ type thin films through cell-diffusion on the surface developed by using Monte Carlo (MC) method is presented in this paper. Two diffusion active energy parameters were assumed to be 0.6 eV, which is the diffusion potential barrier on the surface, and 0.8 eV, which is the diffusion potential barrier when a basic unit separates from other units. The results show that the ABO₃ expitaxial thin films grow with layer by layer mode at the conditions of higher temperature and lower deposition rate. And with the conditions of lower temperature and higher deposition rate, it is the island mode; and even with same growth mode, the morphology pictures of thin films show that the growth process is different. The shape, size and number of islands are not only related to the growth temperature, but also related to the deposition rate. And the compact initial islands are more likely to develop into smooth thin films with layer-by-layer mode.

Keywords:

• BO₃
• epitaxy
• model
• growth mode
• Monte Carlo (MC)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This work was supported by the National Fundamental Research Program (Z0601) and National Science Foundation of China and the National Key Fundamental Research Projects (50132020).