Self-organisation of nanostructures driven by ion irradiation

For the generation of nanostructures for novel applications such as in electronics and optics, self-organisation under large-area processing appears to be the most promising way in terms of cost-efficiency. However, so far it has turned out to be extremely difficult to fulfil the requirements of macroscopic-range ordering, narrow particle size distribution, and, in the case of buried nanostructures, in-depth location control. The introduction of ion beams, which are widely established in industrial production, into this area is challenging but hampered by the statistical processes of ion slowing down and the physico-chemistry of precipitation and ripening during ion beam synthesis. These processes will, in general, result in disorded rather than ordered structures.
In the present paper it is demonstrated that, nevertheless, ion beam techniques may contribute to ordering. Different mechanism of ion-driven self-organisation are available for this purpose: (i) For ensembles of nanoclusters in a matrix material, ion-beam mixing may cause an inversion of the Ostwald ripening effect and thus drive the system towards a narrow particle size distribution. (ii) Processes of ion mixing, diffusion and precipitation at interfaces may result in a well-defined location of a nanocluster sheet close to the interface. (iii) Ordering of intermetallic nanostructures may be achieved at low temperature by ion-induced generation of mobile point defects.
For these phenomena, both theoretical predictions and experimental evidence will be presented. In addition, the results will be related to promising applications, such as for new non-volatile memories and novel media for magnetic recording.