The role of energetic atoms in the deposition of Au/Au (001) thin films — a computer simulation study

The behavior of Au/Au (100) thin film growth with energetic deposition has been investigated by kinetic Monte Carlo simulations with the description of the deposition process of energetic atoms based on molecular dynamics simulation results. We present the simulation results on the morphology, islands distribution, Bragg intensity and roughness of homoepitaxial Au (100)-films growth with energetic deposition at various substrate temperatures. We found the energetic atoms can promote the nucleation and island growth in the early stages of film growth and thus enhance the smoothness of the film surface at the temperatures of film growth in three-dimensional mode and in quasi-two-dimensional mode. The atomistic mechanism that promotes the nucleation and island growth and enhances the smoothness of the film surface is discussed.