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Step-Edge Barriers on GaAs(001)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

P. Šmilauer  and
D.D. Vvedensky
P. Šmilauer
Affiliation:
HLRZ, KFA Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany, p.smilauer@kfa-juelich.de, and IRC Semiconductors, Imperial College, London SW7 2BZ, UK
D.D. Vvedensky
Affiliation:
The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BZ, UK, d.vvedensky@ic.ac.uk
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Abstract

We investigate growth of GaAs(001) using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of a very simple atomistic solid-on-solid model. The key features of this model are a short-range incorporation process of freshly deposited atoms and additional activation barriers to interlayer transport. Both are required to obtain close agreement between measured electron-diffraction intensities and simulated surface step densities during growth and post-growth equilibration on vicinal surfaces. This model is used to study long-time evolution of the surface morphology. Large pyramid-like features develop during growth on a singular surface which coarsen in time while maintaining an approximately constant slope. Growth on a vicinal surface is also found to be unstable. Simulated surface morphologies are compared with recent work using atomic-force microscopy. Finally, we show how a suitably modified version of this model helps to explain the recently observed phenomenon of re-entrant layer-by-layer chemical-beam etching of a singular GaAs(001) surface. The central features responsible for this behavior are the site selectivity of the etching process combined with step-edge barriers to interlayer adatom migration.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 399: Symposium D – Evolution of Epitaxial Structure and Morphology , 1995 , 229
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1996

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References

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