Application of the morphological periodic bond chain method to diamond-like crystal structures learns that {001} faces should be K or S type, i.e. they will be atomically rough. This implies that these cubic faces should have a very high growth rate and that on these surfaces no steps should appear because the step free energy was zero. However, this was in conflict with quite a lot of experimental evidence, especially for the {001} faces of Si, Ge, GaAs and diamond which generally were slowly growing stable faces crowded with growth steps. This contradiction could be explained by accepting that under the conditions where these crystals were grown the {001} surface had reconstructed into the well known (2 x 1) reconstruction where the surface atoms lower their energy by dimerization and occupy different positions with respect to the bulk phase. This led to the creation of a step free energy larger than zero and thus to the observed F-like behaviour. It was demonstrated that the (2 x 1) reconstruction not only was present for the cases under high vacuum conditions, but also could be operative at normal growth conditions, for instance at 1 bar pressure, where adsorption might play a role. Further the lateral orientations of growth steps on the {111} and {001} faces of diamond-like semiconductor crystals were discussed in terms of reconstruction near or at step site atoms.

On the Influence of Surface Reconstruction on Crystal Growth Processes. L.J.Giling, W.J.P.Van Enckevort: Surface Science, 1985, 161[2-3], 567-83