Showing papers by "Albert-László Barabási published in 1997"

Dislocation-free island formation in heteroepitaxial growth : a study at equilibrium

Abstract: We investigate the equilibrium properties of strained heteroepitaxial systems, incorporating the formation and the growth of a wetting film, dislocation-free island formation, and ripening. The derived phase diagram provides a detailed characterization of the possible growth modes in terms of the island density, equilibrium island size, and wetting layer thickness. Comparing our predictions with experimental results we discuss the growth conditions that can lead to stable islands as well as ripening.

What keeps sandcastles standing

Abstract: Any child playing on the beach knows that the physical properties of wet and dry sand are very different. Wet sand can be used to build sharp-featured sandcastles that would be unstable in dry sand. We have now quantified the effect of adding small quantities of liquid to a granular medium. Nanometre-scale layers of liquid on millimetre-scale grains dramatically increase the repose angle (the steepest stable slope that the substance can form) and allow the development of long-range correlations, or clumps.

Self-assembled island formation in heteroepitaxial growth

Abstract: We investigate island formation during heteroepitaxial growth using an atomistic model that incorporates deposition, activated diffusion, and stress relaxation. For high misfit the system naturally evolves into a state characterized by a narrow island size distribution. The simulations indicate the existence of a strain assisted kinetic mechanism responsible for the self-assembling process, involving enhanced detachment of atoms from the edge of large islands and biased adatom diffusion.

Ion-induced effective surface diffusion in ion sputtering

Abstract: Ion bombardment is known to enhance surface diffusion and affect the surface morphology. Here we demonstrate that preferential erosion during ion sputtering can lead to a physical phenomenon reminiscent of surface diffusion, what we call effective surface diffusion (ESD), that does not imply mass transport along the surface and is independent of the temperature. We calculate the ion-induced ESD constant and its dependence on the ion energy, flux and angle of incidence, showing that sputtering can both enhance and suppress surface diffusion. The influence of ion-induced ESD on ripple formation and roughening of ion-sputtered surfaces is discussed and summarized in a morphological phase diagram.

Ion-Induced Surface Diffusion in Ion Sputtering

Abstract: Ion bombardment is known to enhance surface diffusion and affect the surface morphology. To quantify this phenomenon we calculate the ion-induced diffusion constant and its dependence on the ion energy, flux and angle of incidence. We find that ion bombardment can both enhance and suppress diffusion and that the sign of the diffusion constant depends on the experimental parameters. The effect of ion-induced diffusion on ripple formation and roughening of ion-sputtered surfaces is discussed and summarized in a morphological phase diagram.

Maximum angle of stability in wet and dry spherical granular media

Abstract: We demonstrate that stability criteria can be used to calculate the maximum angle of stability ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{m}$ of a granular medium composed of spherical particles in three dimensions and circular disks in two dimensions. The predicted angles are in good agreement with the experimental results. Furthermore, we determine the dependence of ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{m}$ on cohesive forces, applying the results to wet granular material by calculating the dependence of ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{m}$ on the liquid content of the material. We have also studied wet granular media experimentally and find good agreement between the theory and our experimental results.

Self-organized superlattice formation in II–IV and III–V semiconductors

Abstract: There is extensive recent experimental evidence of spontaneous superlattice (SL) formation in various II–VI and III–V semiconductors. Here we propose an atomistic mechanism responsible for SL formation, and derive a relation predicting the temperature, flux, and miscut dependence of the SL layer thickness. Moreover, the model explains the existence of a critical miscut angle below which no SL is formed, in agreement with results on ZnSeTe, and predicts the formation of a platelet structure for deposition onto high symmetry surfaces, similar to that observed in InAsSb.

Collective motion of self-propelled particles: kinetic phase transition in one dimension

Abstract: We demonstrate that a system of self-propelled particles (SPP) exhibits spontaneous symmetry breaking and self-organization in one dimension, in contrast with previous analytical predictions. To explain this surprising result we derive a new continuum theory that can account for the development of the symmetry broken state and belongs to the same universality class as the discrete SPP model.

Self-organized superlattice formation in II-VI and III-V semiconductors

Abstract: There is extensive recent experimental evidence of spontaneous superlattice (SL) formation in various II-VI and III-V semiconductors. Here we propose an atomistic mechanism responsible for SL formation, and derive a relation predicting the temperature, flux and miscut dependence of the SL layer thickness. Moreover, the model explains the existence of a critical miscut angle below which no SL is formed, in agreement with results on ZnSeTe, and predicts the formation of a platelet structure for deposition onto high symmetry surfaces, similar to that observed in InAsSb.

Roughening of ion-eroded surfaces

Abstract: Recent experimental studies focusing on the morphological properties of surfaces eroded by ion-bombardment report the observation of self-affine fractal surfaces, while others provide evidence about the development of a periodic ripple structure. To explain these discrepancies we derive a stochastic growth equation that describes the evolution of surfaces eroded by ion bombardment. The coefficients appearing in the equation can be calculated explicitly in terms of the physical parameters characterizing the sputtering process. Exploring the connection between the ion-sputtering problem and the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang and Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equations, we find that morphological transitions may take place when experimental parameters, such as the angle of incidence of the incoming ions or their average penetration depth, are varied. Furthermore, the discussed methods allow us to calculate analytically the ion-induced surface diffusion coefficient, that can be compared with experiments. Finally, we use numerical simulations of a one dimensional sputtering model to investigate certain aspects of the ripple formation and roughening.