Spiral growth, two-dimensional nucleation, and the Ehrlich-Schwoebel effect

Abstract

Frank's prediction of the spiral growth mode in 1949 defined a pivotal moment in the history of crystal growth. In recent decades the topic has received less attention, and instead we have seen a resurrection of two-dimensional nucleation theory in the context of growth experiments on defect-free homoepitaxial thin films. In particular, the key role of interlayer transport controlled by step edge barriers of the Ehrlich-Schwoebel type in shaping the morphology of multilayer films has been increasingly recognized. After a brief review of the classical theory, this paper reports on a recent study of spiral growth in the presence of step edge barriers. Our key observation is that step edge barriers lead to unconventionally shaped spiral hillocks that display the same characteristic ever-steepening height profiles as wedding cakes formed during growth by two-dimensional nucleation. This prediction was verified experimentally by inducing screw dislocations through ion bombardment of the Pt(111) surface, thus creating a homoepitaxial growth system on which spiral hillocks and wedding cakes coexist.