Finite size effects on surface excess quantities: application to crystal growth and surface melting of epitaxial layers

TL;DR

This paper investigates how finite size effects influence surface excess quantities, providing a framework to predict wetting layer thickness and classify melting behaviors in epitaxial layers, relevant for crystal growth and surface melting phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a size-dependent modification of Gibbs excess quantities to better describe surface melting and growth transitions in epitaxial layers.

Findings

Predicts equilibrium wetting layer thickness in Stranski Krastanov growth

Classifies two melting cases: incomplete and continuous premelting

Describes size effects on surface phase transition behaviors

Abstract

From a macroscopic viewpoint phase transitions as surface melting or growth mode can be described in term of Gibbs excess quantity duly amended by size effect. The aim of this study is to consider such amended quantities to describe surface melting and Stranski Krastanov transition of epitaxial layers. The size effect so-introduced enables to predict the equilibrium thickness of the wetting layer of Stranski Krastanov growth mode and to describe and classify two different melting cases: the incomplete premelting relayed by a first order transition and the continuous premelting relayed by continuous overheating