A Monte Carlo study of dislocation growth and etching of crystals

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth 2000-10, Vol.219 (1), p.165-175
• Main Authors: Cuppen, H.M., van Veenendaal, E., van Suchtelen, J., van Enckevort, W.J.P., Vlieg, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Crystal growth and etching; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Methods of crystal growth; physics of crystal growth; Monte Carlo simulation; Physics; Screw dislocation; Theory and models of crystal growth; physics of crystal growth, crystal morphology and orientation
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-0248(00)00612-6

It is well known that screw dislocations are step sources that allow crystals to grow at low driving forces. Growth is accelerated at the outcrop of a screw dislocation generating a spiral hillock. This makes the intersection of a screw dislocation and a crystal surface a so-called velocity source. In this paper the interaction between dislocation growth, 2D-nucleation and misorientation step flow is investigated for a wide range of driving forces by means of Monte Carlo simulations of growth of the Kossel (1 0 0) surface. The interactions between the different growth mechanisms are shown to agree with a general model for velocity source behavior, which allows for a simple analytical expression of the growth rate. This expression can be used in a continuum description of crystal growth. Finally, dislocation etching is studied and compared with dislocation growth.