The influence of electric fields on nanostructures—Simulation and control Original Research Article

Macroscopic electric fields may be used to influence or even control the shape evolution of single layer islands on a crystalline surface. We validate a phase-field approach to simulate such shape evolutions by comparison with simulations based on a sharp interface approach. The phase-field model is then used to formulate and discretize the control problem of finding an electric field which drives an island to a predefined shape. Some first results of this approach are presented.