Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Atomically Defined Templates for Epitaxial Growth of Complex Oxide Thin Films
Published on: December 4, 2014
Defect formation and kinetics of atomic terrace merging
1Department of Physics and James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Abstract:
Pairs of atomic scale terraces on a single crystal metal surface can be made to merge controllably under suitable conditions to yield steps of double height and width. We study the effect of various physical parameters on the formation of defects in a kinetic model of step doubling. We treat this manifestly nonequilibrium problem by mapping the model onto a 1D random sequential adsorption problem and solving this analytically. We also do simulations to check the validity of our treatment. We find that our treatment effectively captures the dynamic evolution and the final state of the surface morphology. We show that the number and nature of the defects formed is controlled by a single dimensionless parameter q . For q close to one we show that the fraction of defects rises linearly with epsilon identical with 1-q as 0.284epsilon . We also show that one can arrive at the final state faster and with fewer defects by changing the parameter with time.
More Related Videos
11:14Comprehensive Characterization of Extended Defects in Semiconductor Materials by a Scanning Electron Microscope
Published on: May 28, 2016
06:57Theoretical Calculation and Experimental Verification for Dislocation Reduction in Germanium Epitaxial Layers with Semicylindrical Voids on Silicon
Published on: July 17, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Temperature Dependence on Reaction Rate
Atoms, molecules, or ions must collide before they can react with each other. Atoms must be close together to form chemical bonds. This premise is the basis for a theory that explains many observations regarding chemical kinetics, including factors affecting reaction rates.
The collision theory is based on the postulates that (i) the reaction rate is proportional to the rate of reactant collisions, (ii) the reacting species collide in an orientation allowing contact between...
Precipitate Formation and Particle Size Control
The obtained precipitate should be either a pure substance of known composition or easily converted to one by a simple process, such as ignition or drying. In addition, the precipitate should be insoluble and easily filterable. In general, filterability...
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Point, Line and Plane Defects
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Non-Stoichiometric Defects
Theories of Dissolution: The Danckwerts' Model and Interfacial Barrier Model