Abstract
The growth kinetics by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) is studied on the stepped surface by means of a kinetic equation describing the deposition and diffusion of atoms on the basis of the SOS (solid-on-solid) model. The kinetic equation is derived by using site-dependent point approximation of the path probability method. It is shown that the growth mode changes from the layer-by-layer mode on the terraces to the step propagation mode as the temperature is increased. The results agree qualitatively well with reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) measurements on GaAs (001) with miscut angle.
