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Effect of temperature on the growth of a-axis ZnO films: a reactive force field-based molecular dynamics study

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Abstract

Understanding film initiation and growth mechanisms at the atomic level is crucial to obtain high-quality nonpolar ZnO films. Using the advanced reactive force field-based molecular dynamics method, we theoretically studied the effect of substrate temperature (350–950 K) on the quality, layer develop mechanism and defect formation of ZnO films. Investigation of the energy, radial distribution function, layer coverage, sputtering and injecting phenomena indicated that the present films grown at 500–600 K possessed the optimal quality. Further investigation of the growth condition, instant film profiles, interfacial microstructure evolutions and layered snapshots revealed that, addition of atoms on newly formed localized films can induce some partially bonded or extruded atoms out of the film plane. Further adherence of depositing atoms to these unstable or extruded atoms induces the initiation and growth of a new layer.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was financially supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. L1502038) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51172040 and 51371177). This work was conducted in Shenyang Supercomputer Center at the Institute of Metals Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Materials Physics and Chemistry, College of Material Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China

    Y. L. Liu, C. H. Dong, B. Z. Sun & Y. Qi

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  1. Y. L. Liu
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  2. C. H. Dong
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  3. B. Z. Sun
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  4. Y. Qi
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Correspondence to Y. Qi.

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Liu, Y.L., Dong, C.H., Sun, B.Z. et al. Effect of temperature on the growth of a-axis ZnO films: a reactive force field-based molecular dynamics study. Journal of Materials Research 32, 522–529 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2016.491

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