Simulation study on nanocluster growth by ion beam synthesis

Abstract We present a model equation that describes nucleation and growth of hemispherical islands or nanoclusters on a substrate by ion beam synthesis for the small surface coverage case. The model is formulated in terms of a set of rate equations for the island size, combined with the time-dependent behavior of supersaturation and island nucleation rate. As an example to demonstrate the usefulness of the model, we study effects of the arrival rate of adatoms on the nanocluster growth. Large scale computer simulation results show that the broadness of island size distribution is a decreasing function of the arrival rate for small rates, and bimodal distributions are obtained for large rates.