Frank–Van der Merwe growth (FM growth) is one of the three primary modes by which thin films grow epitaxially at a crystal surface or interface. It is also known as 'layer-by-layer growth'. It is considered an ideal growth model, requiring perfect lattice matching between the substrate and the layer growing on to it, and it is usually limited to homoepitaxy.[1] For FM growth to occur, the atoms that are to be deposited should be more attracted to the substrate than to each other, which is in contrast to the layer-plus-island growth model.[2] FM growth is the preferred growth model for producing smooth films.[3]
It was first described by South African physicist Jan van der Merwe and British physicist Frederick Charles Frank in a series of four papers based on Van der Merwe's PhD research between 1947 and 1949.[4]