It was pointed out that, when scanning electron microscopy was combined with molecular beam epitaxy system so as to study a (111) substrate with a particularly flat growing surface, it was possible to make detailed observations of island nucleation, coalescence, and step motion. Such observations permitted the quantitative analysis of growth processes that were based upon the standard model of crystal growth. In particular, the Ga adatom surface diffusion length was determined directly from the dependence of measured step velocity upon Ga arrival rate.

Imaging of layer-by-layer growth processes during molecular beam epitaxy of GaAs on (111)A substrates by scanning electron microscopy H.Yamaguchi, Y.Homma: Applied Physics Letters, 1998, 73[21], 3079-81