  Growth of atomic indium chains - 1D islands - on the Si(100)-2x1 surface was
observed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at room temperature and
simulated by means of a kinetic Monte Carlo method. Density of indium islands
and island size distribution were obtained for various deposition rates and
coverage. STM observation of growth during deposition of indium provided
information on growth kinetics and relaxation of grown layers. Important role
of C-type defects at adsorption of metal atoms was observed. Measured growth
characteristics were simulated using a microscopic model with anisotropic
surface diffusion and forbidden zones along the metal chains. An analysis of
experimental and simulation data shows that detachment of indium adatoms from
the chains substantially influences a growth scenario and results in
monotonously decreasing chain length distribution function at low coverage.
Diffusion barriers determined from the simulations correspond to almost
isotropic diffusion of indium adatoms on the surface. The results are discussed
with respect to data reported in earlier papers for other metals.
