Dimer-row pattern formation in diamond (100) growth

Molecular dynamics based on quantum-mechanical semiempirical and density functional potentials were applied to study step pattern formation on diamond (100) surfaces. Growth conditions near different types of monoatomic steps were compared and found to be unaffected by the nature of the steps. Instead, a mechanism based on surface diffusion of chemisorbed species is proposed to explain experimental observations. The proposed mechanism indicates that a dimer row serves as an attractor for migrating adspecies.