FACET: a novel model of simulation and visualization of polycrystalline thin film growth

We present a two-dimensional polycrystalline thin film growth model based on describing grains in terms of faceted surfaces and grain boundaries. The profiles of the nuclei are described by crystallographically appropriate facets, with the position and orientation of the nuclei semi-randomly selected. Growth rates are determined from deposition fluxes and a new one-dimensional kinetic lattice Monte Carlo (KLMC) method developed to treat surface diffusion effects. The one-dimensional KLMC was verified by comparison with a full three-dimensional KLMC code. A continuum facet model has been developed to simulate grain growth and interaction. Users can visualize the nucleation and growth process of the film and obtain the final film structure, including the topography as well as the texture. The codes are written in Visual Basic and can be run in a Windows 98/2000/NT environment. An integrated graphical user interface has been implemented to facilitate use. The beta version of FACET can be freely downloaded from our web site: http://ceaspub.eas.asu.edu/cms/.