The formation process of a self-assembled monolayer, deposited from solution, has been observed in real time using atomic force microscopy. The growth begins with the nucleation of submonolayer islands, which grow and eventually coalesce. By following the time dependence of the island nucleation and the growth kinetics of individual islands, we find that the process can be quantitatively explained by a kinetic theory of 2D cluster growth typically used to describe vapor phase molecular beam epitaxy. The same theory correctly predicts the maximum island density prior to island coalescence.

• Received 16 July 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.4927