Regular Article

Molecular dynamics simulation of surface morphology during homoepitaxial growth of Copper^★

¹ Laboratory LS3M, Polydisciplinary faculty of Khouribga, Sultan Moulay Slimane University, 25000 Khouribga, Morocco
² Team of Water and Environmental Management (G2E), National School of Applied Sciences (ENSAH), Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, 32003 Al Hoceima, Morocco

^* e-mail: h.e.azrak@gmail.com

Received: 18 March 2019
Received in final form: 13 September 2019
Accepted: 14 October 2019
Published online: 8 November 2019

Abstract

In this paper, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of surface morphology during homoepitaxial growth of Copper was investigated. For this purpose, simulations of Cu deposition on the Cu(111) substrate with an incidence energy of 0.06 eV at 300K were performed using the embedded-atom method (EAM). The grown thin film on Cu(111) reveled a rough surface morphology. During deposition, the important fraction of atoms intended for the upper layers undergone a rising rate of about 40% starting from the 2nd period and continued to increase until 65%, while the lower level reached a permanent rate of only 25% by the 4th period. Otherwise, except at the first layer level, the lower layers are incomplete. This void in the lower layers has favored the growth of the upper layers until a rate of 143% and has accelerated their time appearance. Th incidence energy has favored the filling of lower layers by reducing this surface roughness. However, the temperature effect needs more relaxation time to fill the lower layers^.