Molecular Dynamics simulations are carried out for investigating atomic processes of platinum sputtering. Sputtered Pt atom energy distribution functions (EDF) are determined at different sputtering argon ionenergies: 100, 500, and 1000 eV. Calculated EDF show a cross-over from Thompson theory to binary collision model when increasing argon ion energy and Pt atom sputtered energy. Implanted arg...

A method based on the sidewall transfer technique for fabricating two-dimensional (2D) nano-mold on a silicon substrate was developed. Instead of using expensive nanolithography, the authors fabricated 2D silicon nano-mold using standard ultraviolet lithography, conformal deposition of gold by radio frequency sputtering, argon sputter etching and deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). This technique...

The use of a combined Focussed Ion Beam/Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB/ESEM) offers new possibilities for imaging complex heterogeneous polymeric structures. The use of the focussed ion beam, using positively charged gallium ions in conjunction with a measured ‘defocused’ low energy primary electron beam has permitted milling through the heterostructure to be achieved in a cont...

Recent experimental studies focusing on the morphological properties of surfaces eroded by ion-bombardment report the observation of self-affine fractal surfaces, while others provide evidence about the development of a periodic ripple structure. To explain these discrepancies we derive a stochastic growth equation that describes the evolution of surfaces eroded by ion bombardment. The coeffici...

Icy grains and satellites orbiting in Saturn’s magnetosphere are immersed in a plasma that sputters their surfaces. This limits the lifetime of the E-ring grains and ejects neutrals that orbit Saturn until they are ionized and populate its magnetosphere. Here we reevaluate the sputtering rate of ice in Saturn’s inner magnetosphere using the recent Cassini data on the plasma ion density, tempera...

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) on the helium ion microscope (HIM) promises higher lateral resolution than on classical SIMS instruments. However, full advantage of this new technique can only be obtained when the interaction of He(+) or Ne(+) primary ions with the sample is fully controlled. In this work we investigate how He(+) and Ne(+) bombardment influences roughness formation and p...