Adatom ascending at step edges and faceting on fcc metal (110) surfaces.
Using first-principles total-energy calculations, we show that an adatom can easily climb up at monatomic-layer-high steps on several representative fcc metal (110) surfaces via a place exchange mechanism. Inclusion of such novel adatom ascending processes in kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of Al(110) homoepitaxy as a prototypical model system can lead to the existence of an intriguing faceting instability, whose dynamical evolution and kinetic nature are explored in comparison with experimental observations.
Zhu
Wenguang
W
International Center for Quantum Structures and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, People's Republic of China.
Buatier de Mongeot
Francesco
F
Valbusa
U
U
Wang
E G
EG
Zhang
Zhenyu
Z