Determination of the sticking coefficient of energetic hydrocarbon molecules by molecular dynamics

The sticking coefficient of hydrocarbon species is a key quantity that influences the growth process of amorphous hydrocarbon layers. To extend the very limited database for low impact energies, classical molecular dynamics simulations were performed, determining the sticking coefficients of CHx (x = 0 … 4) with kinetic energies between 5 and 100 eV. Similar simulations are performed with hydrogen substituted by deuterium. Additionally, analytical formulas are presented that fit the data very well and can be used to interpolate the simulation results.