Molecular dynamics simulations of ionized cluster beam deposition: case of study of aluminum

In order to understand interactions between energetic Al clusters and Al(1 0 0) surfaces, we investigated the cluster-size dependence of the maximum substrate temperature T-max and of the time t(max) within which this temperature is reached. We considered two cases: (1) clusters with the same total energy E-T and (2) clusters with the same energy per atom. The temperature T-max changed linearly with both the energy per atom and the total energy of the cluster. When E-T was constant and the cluster size increased, the time t(max) approached a constant value because energy was rapidly transferred to the substrate by correlated collisions. As the size and energy of clusters increase, such correlated collisions play a progressively important role in their interactions with surfaces. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.