We show that low area density Ge/Si(100) island ensembles comprised solely of hut and pyramid clusters do not undergo Ostwald ripening during days-long growth temperature anneals. In contrast, a very low density of large, low chemical potential Ge islands reduce the supersaturation causing the huts and pyramids to ripen. By assuming that huts lengthen by adding single {105} planes that grow fro...

Fourth order thin film equations can have late stage dynamics that are analogous to the classical Cahn–Hilliard equation. We undertake a systematic asymptotic analysis of a class of equations that describe partial wetting with a stable precursor film introduced by intermolecular interactions. The limit of small precursor film thickness is considered, leading to explicit expressions for the late...

We present a systematic quasi-mean eld model of the Ostwald ripening process in two dimensions. Our approach yields a set of dynamic equations for the temporal evolution of the minority phase droplets' radii. The equations contain only pairwise interactions between the droplets; these interactions are evaluated in a mean-eld type manner. We proceed to solve numerically the dynamic equations for...