Influence of surface step density on reflection high-energy-electron diffraction specular intensity during epitaxial growth

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Abstract
Growth by molecular-beam epitaxy is modeled by Monte Carlo simulations of a two-step process that includes deposition and migration. As a marked departure from previous studies, we monitor the evolution of the growth by calculating the surface step density, which we then compare with the specular intensity in reflection high-energy-electron diffraction measurements. The strong correspondence between the two quantities facilitates considerable insight into the microscopic origins of the influence of various externally controlled parameters upon the high-energy-electron diffraction profile.