Electron microscopy of nucleation and growth of indium and tin films
- 1 September 1972
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Philosophical Magazine
- Vol. 26 (3), 649-663
- https://doi.org/10.1080/14786437208230111
Abstract
The results of measurements of island density and grain size variations as a function of film thickness and substrate temperature of vapour-deposited indium and tin films are given. It was observed that the nucleation and growth characteristics of indium and tin films are different even when the substrate temperatures are in the same ratio of their melting points. These differences are ascribed to the differences in interfacial surface energy, nucleation barrier, and critical thickness. The saturation density of indium was found to be 2 × 1011 cm−2 at 85°C while that of tin was 4 × 1011 cm−2 at 130°c. Island density curves systematically illustrate the occurrence of primary, secondary, and tertiary nucleation. This feature is also apparent from transmission and scanning electron micrographs of films deposited at 130°c. The presence of broad peaks in island density curves and dips in average grain size curves is due to the formation and growth of secondary nucleated islands. The spherical shape of the islands in films deposited at 130°c strongly suggests that the films recrystallize from liquid drops after supercooling.Keywords
This publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit:
- Migration and capture processes in heterogeneous nucleation and growth: I. TheorySurface Science, 1970
- Structure and energetics of vapor-deposited Indium filmsPhysica Status Solidi (a), 1970
- The Structure of Tin Thin Films Evaporated onto a Clean NaCl SubstrateJournal of Vacuum Science and Technology, 1970
- Formation Processes of Vacuum-Deposited Indium Films and Thermodynamical Properties of Submicroscopic Particles Observed by In Situ Electron MicroscopyJournal of Vacuum Science and Technology, 1969
- Surface “melting” or supercooling?Thin Solid Films, 1969
- Initially liquid islands or surface melting?Thin Solid Films, 1969
- Nucleation and growth of thin lead films on amorphous substratesThin Solid Films, 1968
- Heterogeneous Nucleation of Bi and Ag on Amorphous Substrates (In Situ Electron Microscopy Studies)Journal of Applied Physics, 1967
- Effects of vacuum environment on the sub-structure of evaporated F.C.C. metal filmsPhilosophical Magazine, 1966
- The nucleation, growth, structure and epitaxy of thin surface filmsAdvances in Physics, 1965