The role of macroscopic transport phenomena in film microstructure during epitaxial growth

A multiscale integration hybrid algorithm is introduced to describe film microstructure in epitaxial growth under conditions where fluid mechanics and transport phenomena in the adjacent fluid phase are important, such as in chemical vapor deposition at relatively high pressures. This algorithm is demonstrated in a stagnation point flow reactor. It is shown that mass transfer limitations delay the transition from the step flow to the two-dimensional nucleation growth mode, as the substrate temperature decreases, and could possibly eliminate kinetic microroughening. Furthermore, the temporal development of morphological features upon changes in operating conditions is determined by the bulk convective flow.