Embedded assembly mechanism of stable metal nanocrystals on semiconductor surfaces

The growth of ErAs on GaAs(001) surfaces occurs by an embedded growth mode encompassing three steps; (i) island nucleation within the substrate surface, (ii) lateral growth of embedded islands, and (iii) growth of the islands into a continuous film. This growth mode cannot be modeled in terms of epitaxial strain or surface, bulk, and interfacial energy differences, which have been used to explain most conventional growth modes. Instead the surface morphologies resulting from this growth mode are shown to depend on structural differences, thermodynamics, and diffusion.