Summary
We have investigated the coarsening process in homoepitaxial systems using Monte-Carlo simulations and continuum equations. From the geometric aspects of coarsening, the scenario for merging two mounds is the following: after initial competition between the mounds, the saddle point between them annihilates with the maximum of the smaller mound, then the one big mound rearranges itself to be symmetric.
In case of relaxation to equilibrium, the process is diffusion-dominated and the presence of the D 4 term is verified. For non-equilibrium conditions we have two cases: For weakly out of equilibrium (low flux, low Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier) the D4 term is still present and dominates the long-time coarsening, characterized by n = 1/4. However, for strongly out of equilibrium cases (high flux, high Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier) the D 4 term seems to be dominated by the D 6 term, causing coarsening with exponent n = 1/6.
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© 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Somfai, E., Sander, L.M. (2002). Coarsening of MBE Structures in 2+1 Dimensions. In: Duxbury, P.M., Pence, T.J. (eds) Dynamics of Crystal Surfaces and Interfaces. Fundamental Materials Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47071-3_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47071-3_13
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