Phase separation during thin film deposition

A model for phase separation of two immiscible components during a thin film deposition is presented. The model includes the processes of adsorption and phase separation. The process of phases separation is described using Cahn and Hilliard (1958) equation. Diffusion is allowed to occur in a layer of an arbitrary thickness near the surface. The formations of various columnar or granular-like patterns are shown by numerical simulations of the presented model. The influence of the model parameters on obtained results is discussed. The modeling results showed that thin film structure depends on the ratio of diffusion coefficient near the surface over the growth rate.