Surface nanopatterning induced by low-energy ion irradiation: Experimental investigations of non-equilibrium pattern formation


Surface nanopatterning induced by low-energy ion irradiation: Experimental investigations of non-equilibrium pattern formation

Erb, D.; de Schultz, R.; Malsch, G.; Facsko, S.

Irradiating a surface with low-energy ions of about 100 to 1000 eV activates a number of different processes: the surface is eroded by sputtering; the ion impacts create vacancies and ad-atoms; mass redistribution of the mobile species proceeds via both diffusive and ballistic effects; anisotropies in mass redistribution can be induced both by the ion beam and the structure of the surface on the atomic scale. Some mechanisms destabilize the surface height while others lead to surface smoothing. The simultaneous presence of such counteracting effects can result in the formation of periodic nanoscale surface patterns. Depending on factors such as temperature, ion energy, or the incidence orientation of the ion beam, the individual surface processes are enhanced or suppressed, yielding different pattern morphologies. The fact that the patterning can be influenced by various readily accessible external parameters offers a way toward deeper understanding of the underlying processes and their interactions. Furthermore, it enables large-scale production of novel templates for bottom-up fabrication of nanostructures or nanostructured materials for future applications in diverse fields, ranging from optics and magnetism to catalysis.
We discuss our experimental studies of ion-induced pattern formation on different semiconductor surfaces in dependence of external process parameters and with regard to temporal evolution, pattern symmetry and morphology, and patterning defects. Further, we present our approaches to employing these patterned surfaces for nanostructure fabrication, especially by means of physical vapor deposition.

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Publ.-Id: 28582