A statistical treatment of nucleation rates in boron thin films

A nucleation rate theory for boron films was developed using a statistical approach based on a critical nucleus model. Due to the unique bonding in boron, and its charge to size ratio, two center and three center bonding plays a dominant role in the formation of condensed nuclei. By proper choice of the ratio between two and three center bonding a critical nucleus consisting of 12 boron atoms linked together in an icosahedral structure appears to be a reasonable structure. Reduced nucleation parameters are then calculated to indicate stable growth regions. The statistical methods employed yield nucleation rates which are consistent with independently determined experimental parameters.