Ion induced compositionally modulated ripples during composite film growth: 3D sculpting at the nanoscale
Ion induced compositionally modulated ripples during composite film growth: 3D sculpting at the nanoscale
Abrasonis, G.; Krause, M.; Buljan, M.; Mücklich, A.; Fritzsche, M.; Facsko, S.; Zschornak, M.; Wintz, S.; Endrino, J. L.; Baehtz, C.; Shalimov, A.; Gemming, S.
Ion irradiation of multielement surfaces can induce regular compositionally modulated surface roughness nanopattern formation such as ripples or nanodots. This kind of bottom-up nanopatterning can provide means to not only structure the solid surfaces but also to create ordered heterogeneous structures in three dimensions (3D) when performed in growth mode: the compositional surface nanopattern is continuously buried by incoming species while the surface is again restructured due to ion irradiation.
The present work is an experimental demonstration of this concept: 3D ordered nanocomposites are grown via ion induced two dimensional (2D, surface) nanopattern formation during bi-component film growth. The influence of low energy (50-140 eV) assisting Ar+ ion irradiation on the morphology of C:Ni (~ 5 at.% Ni to ~ 30 at.% Ni) thin films will be reported. It will be shown that for certain growth conditions surface ripples form during oblique incidence low energy ion beam assisted deposition of C:Ni films. These surface ripples are compositionally modulated: Ni is located on the crests and carbon in the valleys. The film cross sections show periodic distribution of metal nanoparticles in a carbon matrix with the same periodicity as the surface ripples. As this 3D patterning effect has a physical origin, it can be expected to occur in many material systems. Such an approach holds high potential for the growth of functional nanocomposite films for a wide range of applications.
Involved research facilities
- Ion Beam Center DOI: 10.17815/jlsrf-3-159
- Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF DOI: 10.1107/S1600577520014265
Related publications
- DOI: 10.1107/S1600577520014265 is cited by this (Id 19119) publication
- DOI: 10.17815/jlsrf-3-159 is cited by this (Id 19119) publication
-
Lecture (Conference)
International Symposium on Nanoscale Pattern Formation at Surfaces, 26.-30.05.2013, Copenhagen, Denmark
Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-19119