Nucleation and step-edge barriers always destabilize step-flow growth of a vicinal surface
Materials Science
2007-05-23 v3 Statistical Mechanics
Abstract
We consider the effect of nucleation on a one-dimensional stepped surface, finding that step-flow growth is metastable for any strength of the additional step-edge barrier. The surface is made unstable by the formation of a critical nucleus, whose lateral size is related to the destabilization process on a high-symmetry surface. Arguments based on a critical nucleus of height two, which suggest the existence of a fully stable regime for small barrier, fail to describe this phenomenon.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0502199,
title = {Nucleation and step-edge barriers always destabilize step-flow growth of a vicinal surface},
author = {Daniele Vilone and Claudio Castellano and Paolo Politi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0502199},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
10 pages, 4 figures. One figure added and discussion of the critical nucleus revised. Accepted for publication on Surface Science Letters