Inherent surface roughening as a limiting factor in epitaxial cluster deposition

Deposition of nanoclusters at thermal energies will result in an onset of roughening of the deposited surface. In order to grow epitaxial films using cluster deposition at soft landing conditions, the effect of this inherent surface roughness on the alignment of deposited clusters must be investigated. Using molecular dynamics computer simulations we have determined the maximum size of Cu clusters that will align epitaxially, upon deposition at thermal energies, on rough (1 0 0) Cu substrates with temperatures ranging from 0 K to 750 K. We have also shown that the likelihood of epitaxial alignment for the resulting structures is dependent on the point of impact of a cluster relative to previously deposited clusters.