title: Novel microscopic mechanism of intermixing during growth on soft metallic substrates
abstract: Generic computer simulations using empiric interatomic potentials suggest a new, collective mechanism that could be responsible for mixing at heteroepitaxial interfaces. Even if single adsorbate atoms diffuse by hopping on the substrate surface and do not mix at the terraces, two-dimensional islands formed by nucleation may become unstable above a certain critical size and explode upwards forming clusters of several atomic layers. This process is accompanied by strong distortions of the underlying atomic layers, and on soft materials it can result in surface etching and incorporation of substrate atoms into the islands.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Ingenieria y Agrimensura, Instituto de Fisica Rosario, 2000-Rosario, Argentina.
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Slutzky
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferron
authors.lastname: de La Figuera J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Camarero
authors.lastname: Vazquez De Parga AL
authors.lastname: de Miguel JJ
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miranda