On the role of surface energy in the flattening of a crystal face

The question addressed in this paper is the flattening of the valley separating two growth hillocks emanating from screw dislocations during crystal growth. It is argued that both thermodynamic and kinetic effects contribute to this result, at least on a quasi-atomic scale. If performed under low enough supersaturation the growth leads to the formation of the face morphology corresponding to the minimum of the surface free energy. Accelerated step annihilation in the valley floor is a universal factor, which favors face flatting under any supersaturation. Based on the oral presentation during ICCG14, Grenoble, France, 09–13 August 2004.