Figure 4.

PF simulations of growth and formation of voids due to the deposition with shadowing effects on nonflat surfaces. (a) Details of the PF model: diffuse interface representation of a sinusoidal surface profile by means of φ(x) (left) and S(x) for isotropic material deposition (right). Surface profiles reported in the following panels correspond to the isosurface φ = 0.5. Gray areas correspond to initial profiles. (b) Sequence of profiles (at intervals Δt during the deposition on a sinusoidal surface with D/Φ₀ = 0.1 (left) and D/Φ₀ = 0.05 (right), Δt = 0.25, t_tot = 7.5), respectively. (c) Comparison between morphologies and arrays of voids obtained by deposition on a profile as in (b) with different values of D/Φ₀ at t = 25. (d) A comparison of the morphologies after the deposition on a pit connected to flat regions, t = 4.3. (e) A comparison of the morphologies after the deposition on a pit embedded in a vertical structure, t = 5. (f) The formation of voids at the center and between growing vertical structures shown by three profiles during the deposition on structures as in panel (e) with a smaller gap in between.