• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.287-292
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• 2014

The present study deals with a numerical analysis on the island growth of heteroepitaxial thin-films through local surface diffusivity enhancement. A non-linear governing equation for the surface waviness evolution in lattice-mismatched material systems is developed for the case of spatially-varying surface diffusivity. Results show that a flat film that is stable under constant diffusivity conditions evolves to form nanostructures upon externally-induced spatial diffusivity modulation. The periodicity of waviness can be controlled by changing the modulation parameters, which allows for generation of pattern arrays. The present study therefore points towards a post-deposition treatment technique that achieves controllability and order in the structure formation process for applications in nanoelectronics and thin-film devices.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.39 no.7
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• pp.653-657
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• 2015

A numerical investigation to simulate the selective growth of silicon-germanium quantum-dots via local surface diffusivity enhancement is presented. A nonlinear equation for the waviness evolution of film surface is derived to consider the effects of spatially-varying diffusivity, influenced by a surface temperature profile. Results show that the morphology of the initially planar film shapes into an undulated surface upon perturbation, and a steady-state solution describes a fully grown quantum-dot. The present study points toward a fabrication technique that can obtain selectivity for self-assembly.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.79-83
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• 2015

This paper presents a numerical study on the alignment of ridge-like surface structures evolving on silicon-germanium thin films under localized modulation of surface diffusivity. A situation is considered in which the surface diffusion of film material is selectively promoted such that its morphology is perturbed to periodic patterns. To simulate the growth behavior, a governing equation is formulated taking the surface chemical potential into account, and its solution is numerically sought using a finite-difference method. Results show that an initially planar surface coalesces upon the diffusivity modulation, and the surface structures can be aligned by changing the frequency of modulation condition. This research suggests a bottom-up fabrication technique that can manage the regularity of surface structures for thin film devices.