Dynamical calculations for RHEED from MBE growing surfaces. II. Growth interruption and surface recovery

Abstract

Detailed dynamical calculations for reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) from surfaces growing by molecular beam epitaxy have been made to investigate the technique of growth interruption and surface recovery kinetics. A birth-death growth model and a systematic reflection approximation to RHEED have been used. It is found that whilst the RHEED intensity oscillation behaviour is very sensitive to the incident glancing angle, the shape of the intensity recovery curve is insensitive to the diffraction condition. It is further shown that the RHEED intensity recovery curves bear a resemblance to the corresponding surface-roughness recovery curves. Sensible quantitative studies of recovery can therefore be made by analysing the RHEED intensity recovery curves. A similarity between the surface recovery and RHEED intensity recovery has been established.