AFM studies of pits formation on KBr(1 0 0) during its dissolution by water

The formation of etch pits along screw dislocations on KBr(1 0 0) surface during its dissolution by water is investigated by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Clean KBr(1 0 0) is obtained by cleavage. A weak solution of water in isopropyl alcohol is used to investigate the etching in real time. Observations of the etch pit evolution with etching time show that concentration of atomic steps on the pit walls and dissolution rate of the walls vary up to complete dissolution of the screw dislocation. The screw dislocation removal stabilizes the dissolution, resulting in constant values of atomic steps concentration on the pit walls and their dissolution rate during further etching, which continues according to the crystal dissolution stepwave model. It was found that the movement of AFM scanning tip essentially affected the etching process.