No 1, Vol. 6, 2003 
 

FINITE SIZE EFFECTS ON SURFACE EXCESS
QUANTITIES AND APPLICATION TO CRYSTAL
GROWTH AND SURFACE MELTING OF EPITAXIAL LAYERS

P. Müller

Centre de Recherche sur les Mécanismes de la Croissance Cristalline1
Campus de Luminy, case 913, F-13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France
1 Associé aux Universités Aix-Marseille II et III.

Abstract

From a macroscopic viewpoint phase transitions as surface melting or growth mode can be described in terms of Gibbs excess quantity duly amended by size effect. The aim of this study is to consider such amended quantities to describe surface melting and Stranski-Krastanov transition of epitaxial layers. The size effect so introduced allow to predict the equilibrium thickness of the wetting layer of Stranski-Krastanov growth mode and to describe and classify two different melting cases: the incomplete premelting relayed by a first order transition and the continuous premelting relayed by continuous overheating.

full paper (pdf, 304 Kb)