The morphology of surfaces of arbitrary orientation, in the presence of step and kink Ehrlich-Schwoebel effects during growth, was studied within the framework of a theory in which steps were continuous lines. This was illustrated by a simple solid-on-solid model. In the case of vicinal surfaces, kink Ehrlich-Schwoebel effects induced an instability that was often greater than that due to step Ehrlich-Schwoebel effects. The possibility of stable kink-flow growth was analyzed. Fluctuations could shift the stability threshold.

Edge diffusion during growth O.Pierre-Louis, M.R.D'Orsogna, T.L.Einstein: Physical Review Letters, 1999, 82[18], 3661-4