Physics – Condensed Matter – Materials Science
Scientific paper
1999-08-10
Surface Sci. 446, 89-97 (2000)
Physics
Condensed Matter
Materials Science
7 pages, 3 embedded EPS figures. Added a final section and a list of symbols. Accepted for publication in Surface Science
Scientific paper
10.1016/S0039-6028(99)01104-8
We study the effect of crystal symmetry and step-edge diffusion on the surface current governing the evolution of a growing crystal surface. We find there are two possible contributions to anisotropic currents, which both lead to the destabilization of the flat surface: terrace current (j_t), which is parallel to the surface slope, and step current (j_s), which has components parallel (j_pa) and perpendicular (j_pe) to the slope. On a high-symmetry surface, terrace and step currents are generically singular at zero slope, and this does not allow to perform the standard linear stability analysis. As far as a one-dimensional profile is considered, (j_pe) is irrelevant and (j_pa) suggests that mound sides align along [110] and [1-10] axes. On a vicinal surface, (j_s) destabilizes against step bunching; its effect against step meandering depends on the step orientation, in agreement with the recent findings by O.Pierre-Louis et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 3661 (1999)].
Krug Joachim
Politi Paolo
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