Activated Si-H Exchange at Si-Island Edges on Si(001)

Abstract

The changes in the growth kinetics of Si islands during homoepitaxy on Si(001) caused by predosing the surface with different amounts of hydrogen are studied with kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and mean-field rate equations. Thermally activated exchange between H and Si at the ${S}_{B}$ edges of Si islands is identified as the key process responsible for the experimentally observed temperature and hydrogen-dosage dependences of the Si-island density and morphology.