Abstract
The kink density of the [0 1 0] step on the Kossel (1 0 0) surface during growth and etching is analysed. Generally the assumption is made that the kinks can be treated as independent. As is shown here, this does not always hold. The probabilities of the creation and annihilation events determine the spatial correlation of the kinks. An expression for the kink density including spatial correlations is derived. Finally, the step propagation of a kink-correlated step is considered.