Interplay between Quantum Size Effect and Strain Effect on Growth of Nanoscale Metal Thin Film

摘要

We develop a theoretical framework to investigate the interplay betweenquantum size effect (QSE) and strain effect on the stability of metalnanofilms. The QSE and strain effect are shown to be coupled through theconcept of "quantum electronic stress. First-principles calculations reveallarge quantum oscillations in the surface stress of metal nanofilms as afunction of film thickness. This adds extrinsically additional strain-coupledquantum oscillations to surface energy of strained metal nanofilms. Our theoryenables a quantitative estimation of the amount of strain in experimentalsamples, and suggests strain be an important factor contributing to thediscrepancies between the existing theories and experiments.