Kinetic equation of the effect of thickness on grain growth in nanocrystalline films

This paper presents an anisotropy Monte Carlo algorithm to simulate grain growth in nanocrystalline films. The results indicate that a thickness effect appears only when the average grain size reaches 0.8–1.2 times the film thickness. A grain size-thickness factor is introduced to modify Burke’s grain growth kinetic equation, better describing the whole process of grain growth in both simulation and Ni/SiO2 nanocrystalline multilayer films. A more universal kinetic equation of grain growth is further suggested.