Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5424027 | Surface Science | 2009 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
The step configuration of a vicinal Si surface is studied under electromigration and a gradient of temperature. An abrupt transition (ÎT = 4 °C) from step-meandering to step bunching is found at 1225 °C for a step-down direct-current direction. This transition starts by random fluctuations which then extend on the whole surface. The transition is studied in the framework of a linear stability analysis of the usual Burton-Cabrera-Frank model by comparing the amplification factors of step-meandering and step bunching instabilities. Both compete at a given temperature, but since the amplification factors behave differently with temperature, bunching abruptly supersedes meandering above a critical temperature.
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Authors
F. Leroy, D. Karashanova, M. Dufay, J.-M. Debierre, T. Frisch, J.-J. Métois, P. Müller,