Mound formation in nonequilibrium surface growth morphology does not necessarily imply a Schwoebel instability

Abstract

We demonstrate, using well-established nonequilibrium growth models, that mound formation in the dynamical surface growth morphology does not necessarily imply a surface edge diffusion bias (the Schwoebel barrier) as has been almost universally accepted in the literature. We find mounded morphologies in several nonequilibrium growth models which incorporate no Schwoebel barrier. Our work should lead to a critical re-evaluation of recent experimental observations of mounded morphologies which have been theoretically interpreted in terms of Schwoebel barrier effects.