Surface patterns shaped by additives in crystals

Abstract

One technique for creating semiconductor crystals with new, desired properties involves replacing some atoms in the crystal lattice with additives — atoms of a different type. This substitution not only alters the bulk properties of the crystal but also affects the patterns formed on its surface. A surface that is smooth and regular in a uniform crystal can become bunched or meandered under the same growth conditions if some atoms are replaced by additives. The Vicinal Cellular Automaton (VicCA) model is used to study this behavior, analyzing the mechanism of pattern formation when additives are introduced into the system. It has also been shown that the newly formed structures resulting from the presence of additives can be smoothed by applying successive layers of a homogeneous composition on top for a sufficiently long time. Additives can also act as smoothing agents for bunched or meandered surface patterns that develop in a homogeneous crystal. However, their effectiveness diminishes for spatially extended patterns such as nanowires (NWs). Typically, when homogeneous crystal layers are applied to spatial structures, the resulting surface is not entirely smoothed but instead transforms into a distinct shape. This phenomenon is demonstrated, and its underlying mechanism is thoroughly analyzed.