Crystal symmetry, step-edge diffusion and unstable growth
Abstract
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 (jt), which is parallel to the surface slope, and step current (js), which has components parallel (jpa) and perpendicular (jpe) 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, (jpe) is irrelevant and (jpa) suggests that mound sides align along [110] and [1-10] axes. On a vicinal surface, (js) 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)].
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