AVS 47th International Symposium
    Surface Science Thursday Sessions
       Session SS2+VT-ThM

Paper SS2+VT-ThM4
Angle Effects on the Nucleation of Polymeric Thin Films from Molecular Cluster Deposition: Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Thursday, October 5, 2000, 9:20 am, Room 209

Session: Adsorption and Desorption Phenomena II
Presenter: Y. Hu, The University of Kentucky
Authors: Y. Hu, The University of Kentucky
S.B. Sinnott, The University of Kentucky
Correspondent: Click to Email
Cluster beam deposition of organic material is thought to result in thin-film formation through rapid chemical reactions that occur at the impact site between the cluster and the surface. These reactions occur on the order of a few picoseconds and so are ideal for study with atomistic simulations. In this work, classical molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the effect of incident angle on the nucleation and growth of polymeric thin films through organic molecular cluster deposition. The classical reactive empirical bond order method is used in the simulations.@footnote 1@ The specific system under study consists of clusters of ethylene being deposited on a diamond and amorphous carbon substrate at room temperature at various incident angles. The results show how the incident angle affects the nucleation of a thin film from the deposition. In addition, the dependence of this angle effect on substrate rigidity is investigated. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (CHE-9708049). @FootnoteText@ @footnote 1@ S.B. Sinnott, L. Qi, O.A. Shenderova, D.W. Brenner, in Chapter 1 of Volume IV of ADVANCES IN CLASSICAL TRAJECTORY METHODS, Molecular Dynamics of Clusters, Surfaces, Liquids, and Interfaces, Ed. W. Hase (JAI Press, Inc., Stamford, CT, 1999), pp. 1-26.