Kinetics of formation of discrete nanostructures during vacuum condensation from a single-component vapor

The kinetics of cluster formation during the vacuum condensation of thin films from a single-component vapor is investigated by numerically solving the system of kinetic equations. The size distributions of clusters containing from a few atoms to several hundred atoms are obtained. The regions of dominant nucleation on active centers (point defects of the crystal substrate) and random nucleation are determined in the “condensation rate-temperature” coordinates. It is demonstrated that the regions corresponding to the pseudolayer and three-dimensional (rough) growth mechanisms can be separated in the condensation rate-temperature coordinates. The inference is made that the experimentally observed bimodal size distributions of islands can be associated with the difference between the growth rates of clusters at the stage preceding the coalescence.