Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
The connection between the atomic step distributions and decay modes of modulated surfaces is the focus of this paper. We have examined the arrangements of atomic steps on real 1- and 2-D periodic structures by scanning tunneling microscopy(STM) and low energy electron microscopy(LEEM) and have followed their development at temperature by LEEM. The steps present on the surface due to small ‘miscuts’ from exact singular planes can have major effects on both the mechanisms of shape development and the actual shapes that result. Major differences exist in the modes of development between 1- and 2-D periodic step arrays. Some of these observations have led us to a method for producing arrays of step-free Si(001) regions that may have application in device processing.