Stable and unstable growth in molecular beam epitaxy

Journal Article · Mon Jan 03 00:00:00 EST 1994 · Physical Review Letters; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.72.116· OSTI ID:5252194

Johnson, M D; Orme, C; Hunt, A W; Graff, D; Sudijono, J; Sander, L M; Orr, B G ^[1]

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1. The Harrison M. Randall Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1120 (United States)

We consider the growth of films by molecular beam epitaxy in the presence of step-edge (Schwoebel) barriers using numerical simulation and experiments. We show that the growth of a singular surface is unstable, but that a miscut above a certain critical slope (which depends on growth conditions) leads to stable growth in a step-flow mode. For singular surfaces the instability gives rise to the formation of large mounded structures on the surface for which the slope is in the stable regime. We identify these in GaAs epitaxy using atomic force and scanning tunneling microscopy. We propose a continuum equation which exhibits these features.

• DOE Contract Number: FG02-85ER45189
• OSTI ID: 5252194
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters; (United States), Vol. 72:1; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
STABILITY
MICROSTRUCTURE
MONTE CARLO METHOD
MORPHOLOGY
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
STATISTICAL MECHANICS
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CALCULATION METHODS
EPITAXY
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
MATHEMATICS
MECHANICS
PNICTIDES
360601* - Other Materials- Preparation & Manufacture
661300 - Other Aspects of Physical Science- (1992-)