PACS. 68.35Bs -Surface structure and topography. PACS. 61.43Dq -Amorphous alloys.Abstract. -Experimental results on amorphous ZrAlCu thin film growth and the dynamics of the surface morphology as predicted from a minimal nonlinear stochastic deposition equation are analysed and compared. Key points of this study are (i) an estimation procedure for coefficients entering into the growth equation and (ii) a detailed analysis and interpretation of the time evolution of the correlation length and the surface roughness. The results corroborate the usefulness of the deposition equation as a tool for studying amorphous growth processes.Typeset using EURO-L A T E X

We show that the height-height correlation function of a rough surface can be determined from the diffuse X-ray scattering intensity by an explicit back-transformation without any model assumptions. This is in contrast to the conventional fitting procedure of the data with parameterized correlation functions. The method is illustrated by the example of an amorphous Zr, CO% f i l m evaporated on a silicon substrate with native oxide. The height-height Correlation function obtained from the diffuse-scattering data is compared to the result of in situ STM measurements.

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