The Dielectric Breakdown Model applied to explain various morphologies of deposited metallic structures in thin gap metal electro-deposition

The phenomenon of metal electro-deposition in thin-gap geometry leads to very interesting and diverse two dimensional morphologies. This varies from dense ramified growth to thin dendritic projections. In this paper, we have proposed a stochastic model that incorporates such diversity. We carried out thin-gap electro-deposition of Copper and Zinc with varying electrolytic concentrations. A well known model, that until this work was used to explain dielectric breakdown patterns, was employed to explain the variation in deposition morphology with concentration. The sole parameter in the model was varied and the numerically obtained patterns was seen to correlate well with those obtained from electro-deposition. A linear relationship between the parameter and molar concentration was established. The established relationship was then analysed and interpreted.