title: How "hot precursors" modify island nucleation: a rate-equation model.
abstract: We propose a novel island nucleation and growth model explicitly including transient (ballistic) mobility of the monomers deposited at rate F, assumed to be in a hot precursor state before thermalizing. In limiting regimes, corresponding to fast (diffusive) and slow (ballistic) thermalization, the island density N obeys scaling N∝F(α). In between is found a rich, complex behavior, with various distinctive scaling regimes, characterized by effective exponents α(eff) and activation energies that we compute exactly. Application to N(F,T) of recent organic-molecule deposition experiments yields an excellent fit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA and CMTC, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA.
authors.forename: Josue R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Morales-Cifuentes
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA and CMTC, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Einstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA and Rice Quantum Institute & MSNE Department, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pimpinelli