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Ratchet Effect in Surface Electromigration: Smoothing Surfaces by an ac Field

Imre Derenyi·Choongseop Lee·Albert-Laszlo Barabasi
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Abstract

We demonstrate that for surfaces that have a nonzero Schwoebel barrier the application of an ac field parallel to the surface induces a net electro- migration current that points in the descending step direction. The magnitude of the current is calculated analytically and compared with Monte Carlo simulations. Since a downhill current smoothes the surface, our results imply that the application of ac fields can aid the smoothing process during annealing and can slow or eliminate the Schwoebel-barrier-induced mound formation during growth.

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Imre Derenyi, Choongseop Lee, Albert-Laszlo Barabasi. 1998-03-02. Ratchet Effect in Surface Electromigration: Smoothing Surfaces by an ac Field. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.80.1473

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