Abstract
We have analyzed the asymmetry between growth and dissolution using
Monte Carlo simulations of flat and vicinal (100) surfaces of a Kossel
crystal. We find that at a high driving force dissolution is very anisotropic
and nearly atomically flat surfaces are produced, if the nearest-neighbor
bond strength is sufficiently large. This effect we call kinetic smoothing.
For wet-chemical etching of the Si(111) surface, the chemical-etch reaction
determines the annihilation rate constants. If the differences between
the rate constants for removal of atoms from kink, step, and terrace sites
are large enough, then we observe smooth surfaces and anisotropic etching,
i.e., kinetic smoothing. If etching is anisotropic, knowledge of the annihilation
rate constants suffices to find an analytical expression for the etch rate
as a function of misorientation. This expression can be used to fit experimental
etch rates for etching of vicinal Si(111) in potassium hydroxide. (C) 2000
American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)09319-1].