A. A. Chernov^1,*

Abstract

Some general unresolved problems of crystal growth from solution are briefly mentioned in Secs 1 and 2. Sec 3 presents the basic physical reasons for step bunching on a growing vicinal crystal surface in presence of solution flow. In Sec 4, influence of turbulent solution flow on an average steady state bunch width is discussed. The model takes into account the fact that solution flowing over a step bunch is depleted because of higher step density within the bunch. The solution depleted by this denser step train is dragged by the flow and simultaneously expands due to turbulent diffusion into the viscous sublayer adjacent to the growing crystal surface up to the boundary between the sublayer and bulk turbulent flow. Time required for this diffusion multiplied by the solution rate at the sublayer external boundary provides an estimate for the limiting length L over which a step density perturbation influences solution concentration down the stream. Thus, finite thickness of the viscous sublayer determines typical bunch width L, ~ v/ut along the solution flow, where v is solution viscosity and ut is friction velocity of the turbulent flow. This estimate is in reasonable agreement with the experiment, but full scale solution is still a challenge..

Keywords

Crystal growth, Step bunching, Defects, Turbulent solution flow.

Submitted at: July 1, 2003
Accepted at: July 31, 2003

Citation

A. A. Chernov, STEP BUNCHING AND SOLUTION FLOW, Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Vol. 5, Iss. 3, pp. 575-587 (2003)

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