Convective instability of strained layer step flow

We examine an epitaxial crystal growth model in the context of absolute and convective instabilities and show that a strain-induced step bunching inst ability can be convective. Using analytic stability theory and numerical si mulations, we study the response of the crystal surface to an inhomogeneous deposition flux that launches impulsive and time-periodic perturbations to a uniform array of steps. The results suggest a new approach to morphologi cal patterning. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.