GaAs(110) terrace-width distributions and kink formation

Scanning-tunneling-microscopy studies of [1{}12] and [11{}0] step structures on cleaved GaAs(110) show that [1{}12] steps are straight whereas [11{}0] steps are made up of kinks along [1{}12]. These step and kink structures are very different from those on Si surfaces. Through quantitative analysis of terrace-width and kink-length distributions, we show that [11{}0] steps are weakly interacting while kinks are noninteracting.