Surface growth during random and irreversible multilayer deposition of straight semirigid rods.

Abstract

Surface growth properties during irreversible multilayer deposition of straight semirigid rods on linear and square lattices have been studied by Monte Carlo simulations and analytical considerations. The filling of the lattice is carried out following a generalized random sequential adsorption mechanism where the depositing objects can be adsorbed on the surface forming multilayers. The results of our simulations show that the roughness evolves in time following two different behaviors: an "homogeneous growth regime" at initial times, where the heights of the columns homogeneously increase, and a "segmented growth regime" at long times, where the adsorbed phase is segmented in actively growing columns and inactive nongrowing sites. Under these conditions, the surface growth generated by the deposition of particles of different sizes is studied. At long times, the roughness of the systems increases linearly with time, with growth exponent β=1, at variance with a random deposition of monomers which presents a sublinear behavior (β=1/2). The linear behavior is due to the segmented growth process, as we show using a simple analytical model.