Optical and atomic force microscopic study on step bunching in BaB2O4 crystal growth

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/20/2/028102

Abstract The formation of macrostep during high-temperature phase of barium meta-borate ($\alpha $-BaB$_{2}$O$_{4}$) single crystal growth has been investigated by both optical in-situ observation system and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The in-situ observation results demonstrate that the critical linear size of growing facet exceeding the size that the macrostep generates is significantly anisotropic. The critical linear sizes are around 280 $\mu $m and 620 $\mu $m for {$10\overline 1 0$} and {$\overline 1 010$} planes, respectively. AFM study illustrates that macrostep train with a height of 150 nm$\sim $200 nm is one typical morphological feature of the as-grown crystal surface. The riser of each macrostep consists of several straight and parallel sub-steps, indicating the occurrence of step bunching. Additionally, triangular sub-steps with heights of several nanometers on the treads of the macrosteps are found to be another typical feature of surface morphology, which implies a microscopically competitive bunching of sub-steps between various crystallographic orientations.

Keywords: step bunching optical in situ observation atomic force microscopy BaB₂O₄ crystal

Received: 10 May 2010
Revised: 15 September 2010
Accepted manuscript online:

PACS:	81.10.Aj	(Theory and models of crystal growth; physics and chemistry of crystal growth, crystal morphology, and orientation)
	68.08.De	(Liquid-solid interface structure: measurements and simulations)
	68.37.Ps	(Atomic force microscopy (AFM))

Fund: Project supported by the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50802105).

Cite this article:

Pan Xiu-Hong(潘秀红), Jin Wei-Qing(金蔚青), Liu Yan(刘岩), Ai Fei(艾飞), Jin Fei(金飞), and Xie Jun-Jie(解俊杰) Optical and atomic force microscopic study on step bunching in BaB₂O₄ crystal growth 2011 Chin. Phys. B 20 028102

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Optical and atomic force microscopic study on step bunching in BaB2O4 crystal growth

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Optical and atomic force microscopic study on step bunching in BaB₂O₄ crystal growth