Dynamics of Au, Cu, Pt, Ni and Fe Nanoislands Growth on Amorphous Carbon

Abstract

In this paper we present the fitting results of the experimental curves for the sputter deposition of Au, Cu, Pt, Ni and Fe on the amorphous carbon substrate. From the calculated curves the phenomenological coefficients which describe various steps (adsorption, adatom diffusion, cluster migration, coalescence) of deposition process are obtained. Considering different deposits the main influence have processes of nucleation of new clusters and adsorption at the edges of existing clusters. Discrimination of other processes (surface diffusion, cluster migration, coalescence) for different deposits is much less pronounced. It is shown for gold and copper the three-dimensional island growth mechanism, and for nickel and platinum two-dimensional island growth mechanism is prevailing. The cluster density depends on substrate temperature. The experimental results were obtained for Fe film deposition on amorphous carbon substrate at different target temperatures. The calculated results show that change of substrate temperature mainly influences not surface diffusion which could be expected but sticking of adatoms on substrate which drastically decreases with temperature increase.