Phase Coarsening in Thin Films

Phase coarsening (Ostwald ripening) phenomena are ubiquitous in materials growth processes such as thin film formation. The classical theory explaining late-stage phase coarsening phenomena was developed by Lifshitz and Slyozov, and by Wagner in the 1960s. Their theory is valid only for a vanishing volume fraction of the second phase in three dimensions. However, phase coarsening in two-dimensional systems is qualitatively different from that in three dimensions. In this paper, the many-body concept of screening length is reviewed, from which we derive the growth law for a 'screened' phase island, and develop diffusion screening theory for phase coarsening in thin films. The coarsening rate constant, maximum size of phase islands in films, and their size distribution function will be derived from diffusion screening theory. A critical comparison will be provided of prior coarsening concepts and improvements derived from screening approaches.