Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of ripple formation by sputtering: Effects of multiple defects and Ehrlich-Schwoebel barriers

Periodic structures known as sputter ripples have been produced on many surfaces but many aspects of their formation are not understood. We have developed Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations to model ripple formation based on the same sputtering and diffusion processes found in a widely-used continuum model. In the current work, we extend the simulations to include the effects of multiple defect production and barriers to interlayer diffusion to determine if these can account for experimental measurements which find more rapid ripple growth than predicted theoretically.