Solid-State Dewetting of Polycrystalline Thin Films: a Phase Field Approach

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Hoffrogge, Paul, Becker, Nils, Schneider, Daniel, Nestler, Britta, Voigt, Axel, Salvalaglio, Marco
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866908849183653888
author Hoffrogge, Paul
Becker, Nils
Schneider, Daniel
Nestler, Britta
Voigt, Axel
Salvalaglio, Marco
author_facet Hoffrogge, Paul
Becker, Nils
Schneider, Daniel
Nestler, Britta
Voigt, Axel
Salvalaglio, Marco
contents Solid-state dewetting is the process by which thin solid films break up and retract on a substrate, forming nanostructures. While dewetting of single-crystalline films is understood as a surface-energy-driven process mediated by surface diffusion, polycrystalline films exhibit additional complexity due to the presence of grain boundaries. Most theoretical and computational studies have focused on single-crystalline dewetting. Here, we present the application of the grandpotential multi-phase-field model to the dewetting of thin polycrystalline films in three dimensions, reproducing the key phenomenology of this process. By considering isotropic interface/surface energy, we illustrate its consistency with predictions based on energetic arguments and the morphological evolution towards equilibrium. We also provide novel analytical criteria for the onset of three-dimensional dewetting, serving as fundamental theoretical benchmarks, and highlight the critical role of triple junctions. Moreover, we unveil the dewetting behavior of polycrystalline patches, extending the scenarios of their single-crystalline counterparts.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_10811
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Solid-State Dewetting of Polycrystalline Thin Films: a Phase Field Approach
Hoffrogge, Paul
Becker, Nils
Schneider, Daniel
Nestler, Britta
Voigt, Axel
Salvalaglio, Marco
Materials Science
Computational Physics
Solid-state dewetting is the process by which thin solid films break up and retract on a substrate, forming nanostructures. While dewetting of single-crystalline films is understood as a surface-energy-driven process mediated by surface diffusion, polycrystalline films exhibit additional complexity due to the presence of grain boundaries. Most theoretical and computational studies have focused on single-crystalline dewetting. Here, we present the application of the grandpotential multi-phase-field model to the dewetting of thin polycrystalline films in three dimensions, reproducing the key phenomenology of this process. By considering isotropic interface/surface energy, we illustrate its consistency with predictions based on energetic arguments and the morphological evolution towards equilibrium. We also provide novel analytical criteria for the onset of three-dimensional dewetting, serving as fundamental theoretical benchmarks, and highlight the critical role of triple junctions. Moreover, we unveil the dewetting behavior of polycrystalline patches, extending the scenarios of their single-crystalline counterparts.
title Solid-State Dewetting of Polycrystalline Thin Films: a Phase Field Approach
topic Materials Science
Computational Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.10811