We show that the concentration of oxygen interstitials trapped in Sc2O3 films by ion beam sputtering from metal targets can be controlled by modifying deposition conditions. We have identified point defects in the form of oxygen interstitials that are present in Sc2O3 films, in significantly high concentrations, i.e., ∼10(18)  cm(-3). These results show a correlation between the increase of oxy...

We study the self-organized ordering of nanostructures produced by ion-beam sputtering of targets amorphizing under irradiation. By introducing a model akin to models of pattern formation in aeolian sand dunes, we extend consistently the current continuum theory of erosion by IBS. We obtain new nonlinear effects responsible for the in-plane ordering of the structures, whose strength correlates ...

We present a new nanoscale imaging technique based on detecting backscattered ions from a lithium focused ion beam (FIB). Scanning ion microscopes are of general interest as they provide image contrast that differs from scanning electron microscopes (SEM), as has been demonstrated with the traditional gallium FIB and the helium ion microscope [1]. Like helium, the low mass of lithium makes it i...

The absolute sputtering yields of D+, He+and r.r on solid, liquid lithium and liquid tinlithium have been successfully measured and modeled at low energies in the Ion-surface InterAction Experiment (IIAX). IIAX is used in this work to determine the dependence of Li erosion on the use of hydrogen isotopes to treat liquid metal surfaces of both liquid lithium and liquid tin-lithium. Earlier data ...

A class of simple, (2+1)-dimensional, discrete models is reviewed, which allow us to study the evolution of surface patterns on solid substrates during ion beam sputtering (IBS). The models are based on the same assumptions about the erosion process as the existing continuum theories. Several distinct physical mechanisms of surface diffusion are added, which allow us to study the interplay of e...

Ion thrusters offer the potential to enable many future interplanetary robotic missions presently under consideration by NASA. To realize the benefits offered by these low thrust devices, the sputtering mechanisms that are responsible for the degradation of thruster components over time must be well understood. Predictions of thruster life depend directly on the material removal rates from thru...