ABSTRACT
Figure 4.1 shows three different sites on a liquid/solid interface. Atoms condensing on top of a plane (1) release the least amount of energy; the ones lodging in the kink (3) release the most energy. The largest energy release leads to the highest growth velocity. The crystal planes with the smallest energy release per condensed atom grow more slowly than all the other planes and lag behind. This leads to the facets that give crystals their characteristic appearance.
