Influence of Small-Size Contaminations on Thin Film Structural Properties^*

Abstract

An approach for studying the influence of nano-particles on the structural properties of deposited thin films is proposed. It is based on the molecular dynamic modeling of the deposition process in the presence of contaminating nano-particles. The nano-particle is assumed to be immobile and its interaction with film atoms is described by a spherically symmetric potential. The approach is applied to the investigation of properties of silicon dioxide films. Visualization tools are used to investigate the porosity associated with nano-particles. The structure of the film near the nano-particle is studied using the radial distribution function. It is found that fluctuations of film density near the nano-particles are essentially different in the cases of low-energy and high-energy deposition processes.

Atomistic Simulation of Physical Vapor Deposition of Optical Thin Films

“…The purity grand of the film-forming materials can have a large influence on the optical properties of thin films [163]. In [164], the MD simulation of the influence of nanoparticles on the properties of deposited silicon dioxide thin films was performed. The interaction of the nanoparticles with film atoms was described by a spherically symmetric potential.…”