Capture-zone scaling in island nucleation: universal fluctuation behavior.
In island nucleation and growth, the distribution of capture zones (in essence proximity cells) can be described by a simple expression generalizing the Wigner surmise (power-law rise, Gaussian decay) from random matrix theory that accounts for spacing distributions in a host of fluctuation phenomena. Its single adjustable parameter, the power-law exponent, can be simply related to the critical nucleus of growth models and the substrate dimensionality. We compare with extensive published kinetic Monte Carlo data and limited experimental data. A phenomenological theory elucidates the result.
Pimpinelli
Alberto
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LASMEA, UMR 6602 CNRS/Université Blaise Pascal-Clermont 2, F-63177 Aubière Cedex, France. alpimpin@univ-bpclermont.fr
Einstein
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