Origin of atomic clusters during ion sputtering

L. E. Rehn; R. C. Birtcher; S. E. Donnelly; P. M. Baldo; L. Funk

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.207601

Origin of atomic clusters during ion sputtering

L. E. Rehn, R. C. Birtcher, S. E. Donnelly, P. M. Baldo, L. Funk

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Abstract

Previous studies have shown that the size distributions of small clusters ( n≤40; n=number of atoms/cluster) generated by sputtering obey an inverse power law with an exponent between −8 and −4. Here we report electron microscopy studies of the size distributions of larger clusters ( n≥500) sputtered by high-energy ion impacts. These new measurements also yield an inverse power law, but one with an exponent of −2 and one independent of sputtering yield, indicating that the large clusters are produced when shock waves, generated by subsurface displacement cascades, ablate the surface.

Original language	English
Article number	207601
Pages (from-to)	1-4
Number of pages	5
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	87
Issue number	20
Early online date	24 Oct 2001
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.207601
Publication status	Published - 12 Nov 2001
Externally published	Yes

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AU - Baldo, P. M.

AU - Funk, L.

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AB - Previous studies have shown that the size distributions of small clusters ( n≤40; n=number of atoms/cluster) generated by sputtering obey an inverse power law with an exponent between −8 and −4. Here we report electron microscopy studies of the size distributions of larger clusters ( n≥500) sputtered by high-energy ion impacts. These new measurements also yield an inverse power law, but one with an exponent of −2 and one independent of sputtering yield, indicating that the large clusters are produced when shock waves, generated by subsurface displacement cascades, ablate the surface.

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Origin of atomic clusters during ion sputtering

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