Monte Carlo simulation of a ballistic selective etching process in (2+1) dimensions

In this paper, we propose a surface disaggregation model in (2+1) dimensions with biased motion of the eroding particle. The deconstruction is subject to selection criteria depending on the local coordination number of the extracted surface site. The surface width is investigated at early times and in saturation, showing an agreement with the Edwards–Wilkinson theory. We argue that site selection criteria in etching produce effects on surface statistics similar to local relaxation rules in growth processes. The results are related to the recent discussions on topological effects in molecular beam epitaxy.