Bunching of surface steps and facet formation on an alumina surface

摘要

The behavior of steps on the basal surface of alumina under conditions of evaporative mass transport has been investigated. Steps on a clean surface of alumina tend to be uniformly spaced indicating a repulsive interaction between the steps. The presence of foreign particles causes step bunching that leads to the formation of a new facet. The lower energy of the macrofacet may provide a driving force for the bunching process.