MORPHOLOGICAL STABILITY OF A VICINAL FACE INDUCED BY STEP FLOW

For growth from a supersaturated solution, the linear stability with r espect to step bunching of a step train forming a vicinal face is cons idered accounting for both capillarity and anistropy of interface kine tics. It is found that the step motion with respect to a stagnant solu tion provides stabilization at sufficiently large wavelengths for whic h the typical diffusion rate is comparable to the rate of incorporatio n of the crystallizing species at the steps, i.e., to the kinetic coef ficient. Since capillarity can stabilize the interface against short w avelength perturbations, the combined action of both kinetic anisotrop y and capillarity provides complete linear stability at sufficiently h igh growth rates.