Blocking: Reduction of detector signal rate when aligned with a crystal axis or plane. Channeling: Guided trajectory of incident ions between crystal axes or planes. Collision cascade: Series of atom-atom collisions initiated by an ion-atom collision. Cross section: Effective area presented by each atom or nucleus for a specific type of interaction with an incoming ion. lmplantation: Addition o...

The morphological evolution of a GaAs surface induced by a focused ion beam (FIB) has been investigated by in situ electron microscopy. Under off-normal bombardment without sample rotation, Ga droplets with sizes from 70 to 25 nm in diameter on the GaAs surface can self-assemble into a highly ordered hexagonal pattern instead of Ostwald ripening or coalescence. The mechanism relies on a balance...

Energetic ions from the solar wind, local pick-up ions or magnetospheric plasma ions impact the atmospheres and surfaces of a number of solar system bodies. These energetic incident ions deposit energy in the gas or solid. This can lead to the ejection of atoms and molecules, a process referred to as sputtering. In this paper we first describe the physics and chemistry of atmospheric and surfac...

In an effort to understand microscopic processes occurring between MgO protective layers and impinging plasma ions in a discharge cell of plasma-display panel, sputtering properties of MgO 100 surface by He, Ne, and Xe atoms are studied with molecular dynamics simulations. Interatomic potentials between constituent atoms are fitted to first-principles data sets for representative configurations...

Atomic mixing and preferential sputtering impose a depth resolution limit on the use of sputter sectioning to measure the composition of metal-semiconductor interfaces. Experimental evidence obtained with the Pt-Si system is used to .demonstrate ion-induced atomic mixing and then its effect on sputter etching and depth profiling. Starting with discrete layer structures, a relatively low ion dos...

Sputter deposition process is another old technique being used in modern semiconductor industries. Sputtering is a process that can deposit TiO2 material on wafer/glass substrates. In this process target is connected to negative high voltage. Further argon gas is introduced into the chamber and is ionized to a positive charge. The positively charged argon atoms are attracted and strike the nega...

A central issue in the performance of tokamak fusion devices is the choice of the plasma-facing materials. During the device operation the plasma-facing surfaces are subject to extreme heat and particle loads, as they are impinged on by escaped fusion plasma particles. Although carbon-based materials have excellent thermomechanical properties in view of the high heat flux, their use in the next...

The sputtering of the lunar surface by the solar wind is examined as a possible mechanism of mass fractionation. Simple arguments based on current theories of sputtering and the ballistics of the sputtered atoms suggest that most ejected atoms will have sufficiently high energy to escape lunar gravity. However, the fraction of atoms which falls back to the surface is enriched in the heavier ato...

Molecular dynamics simulations of the 20-keV C60 bombardment at normal incidence of Si, SiC, diamond and graphite targets were performed. The unique feature of these targets is that strong covalent bonds can be formed between carbon atoms from the C60 projectile and atoms in the solid material. The mesoscale energy deposition footprint (MEDF) model is used to gain physical insight into how the ...