Surface roughening in shadowing growth and etching in 2+1 dimensions

Through numerical calculations and Monte Carlo simulations, we examine the roughening behavior of a shadowing model, with lateral growth, for (2+1)-dimensional systems. The results show that the roughening growth exponent β=1 for growth and β=0 for etching. For the Monte Carlo simulation of the growth model, tall columns are formed, and the correlation length obeys ξ∝(t-t₀)^1/z, with 1/z=0.93±0.1. For the Monte Carlo simulation of the etching model, we obtain 1/z=0, and the height-height correlation function H(r) is proportional to log(r) for r≪ξ. The results are compared to previous computational studies of shadowing and to experimental studies of sputter deposition.