Atomic force microscope study of growth kinetics: Scaling in the heteroepitaxy of CuCl onCaF2(111)

Abstract

We used the molecular beam epitaxial growth of CuCl on ${\mathrm{CaF}}_2$(111) to determine if scaling theory provides insight into the kinetic mechanisms of heteroepitaxy. We measured quantitative surface topographs of several films representing the island nucleation, growth, and coalescence regimes of film growth with an atomic force microscope, and found that the static scaling exponent of all the surfaces was α=0.84±0.05. This α value is closer to theoretical predictions in which surface diffusion is the dominant smoothening mechanism than to those involving evaporation and recondensation.