Lattice gas automata simulation of atomistic surface growth

"Summary form only given". Here we describe a method based on lattice gas automata to numerically simulate atomistic surface growth processes during thin film deposition. Using a realistic approximation of surface energetics, we are able to scale our simulation time to real deposition time corresponding to individual atomic diffusion jumps. The method allows us to model adatom-adatom interaction explicitly, an important feature for investigating the effects of surface elastic forces on surface morphology. The real deposition time and the adatom-adatom interaction distinguishes our method from the more standard kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations of atomistic surface growth. Results obtained for Si/Si(001) deposition for both flat and stepped substrates will be presented.