  The properties of template-directed nucleation are studied close to the
transition where full nucleation control is lost and additional nucleation
occurs beyond the pre-patterned regions. First, kinetic Monte Carlo simulations
are performed to obtain information on a microscopic level. Here the
experimentally relevant cases of 1D stripe patterns and 2D square lattice
symmetry are considered. The nucleation properties in the transition region
depend in a complex way on the parameters of the system, i.e. the flux, the
surface diffusion constant, the geometric properties of the pattern and the
desorption rate. Second, the properties of the stationary concentration field
in the fully controlled case are studied to derive the remaining nucleation
probability and thus to characterize the loss of nucleation control. Using the
analytically accessible solution of a model system with purely radial symmetry,
some of the observed properties can be rationalized. A detailed comparison to
the Monte Carlo data is included.
