Diffraction determination of the size distribution of noncrystalline regions on a crystalline substrate

It is demonstrated that analysis of the shape of diffracted beams in LEED can be used to determine the size and separation distribution functions of structurally incoherent regions growing on a crystalline substrate. The method has been used to investigate the growth of In clusters on cleaved GaAs(110). An exponent of x=0.5±{}0.15 is obtained for the change in mean island size with dose. The data imply that coalescence is important in the growth process.