Surface energy and nucleation modes

Deposition is a manufacturing process in which a precursor material is delivered to a surface on which it reorganizes by interplay between thermodynamics and kinetics. The evolution of the microstructure of the deposit (layers with thicknesses between a few atomic layers and several micrometers [films] or nanostructure distributions or nanostructured films) is highly dependent on the physical conditions (i.e., the deposition technique and parameters) under which deposition takes place, apart from the choice of materials. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the structural and morphological evolution of a growing deposit is essential to being able to tailor the properties and performances of functional materials at the atomic scale depending on the deposition approach. In this chapter a comprehensive overview to the classical theory of growth will be given, with a focus on the importance of kinetic factors and processes as well as the growth manipulations enabled by a prototypal far-from-equilibrium deposition technique, such as pulsed laser deposition