A continuous non-linear shadowing model of columnar growth

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel continuous non-linear model for columnar growth in plasma sputter deposition, capturing long-range shadowing effects through a new partial differential equation.

Contribution

It presents the first continuous model incorporating long-range shadowing effects in one-dimensional columnar growth processes.

Findings

Model accurately describes observed columnar structures

Incorporates non-linear diffusion and shadowing effects

Provides a basis for further analytical and numerical studies

Abstract

We propose the first continuous model with long range screening (shadowing) that described columnar growth in one space dimension, as observed in plasma sputter deposition. It is based on a new continuous partial derivative equation with non-linear diffusion and where the shadowing effects apply on all the different processes.