AVS 46th International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Division Wednesday Sessions
       Session PS+SS-WeA

Paper PS+SS-WeA7
Comparison of Thin-Film Nucleation and Growth from Ion-Beam and Cluster-Beam Deposition: Atomistic Simulations

Wednesday, October 27, 1999, 4:00 pm, Room 612

Session: Ion-Surface Interactions II
Presenter: T.A. Plaisted, University of Kentucky
Authors: T.A. Plaisted, University of Kentucky
S.B. Sinnott, University of Kentucky
Correspondent: Click to Email
Experimental efforts have examined the formation of diamond-like and tailored polymer films through beam deposition. The results show that strongly adhering hydrocarbon thin films can be generated through the impact of organic ions or small clusters with mica, diamond, or glass surfaces. To study the processes involved in the nucleation and growth of these films we have performed atomistic simulations of beam impacts. Specifically, classical molecular dynamics simulations have been used where the forces are calculated using a many-body, reactive, bond-order potential. Our goal is to better understand the dependence of the film structure the reaction conditions. The simulations show the atomic-scale mechanisms by which the films nucleate and reveal the conditions needed to tailor the structure of the film. They also provide a basis for comparing the nucleation mechanisms and film structures obtained from ion-beam and cluster-beam deposition. @FootnoteText@ This work is supported by the Petroleum Research Fund and the National Science Foundation (CHE-9708049). .