Publication:
Morphology of ion-sputtered surfaces

Thumbnail Image
Identifiers
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10016/6919
ISSN: 0168-583X
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.1016/S0168-583X(02)01436-2
Files
morphology_cuerno_nimprb_2002_ps.pdf (1.02 MB)
Publication date
2002-12
Defense date
Authors
Advisors
Tutors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Impact
Google Scholar
Export
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
We derive a stochastic nonlinear continuum equation to describe the morphological evolution of amorphous surfaces eroded by ion bombardment. Starting from Sigmund’s theory of sputter erosion, we calculate the coefficients appearing in the continuum equation in terms of the physical parameters characterizing the sputtering process. We analyze the morphological features predicted by the continuum theory, comparing them with the experimentally reported morphologies. We show that for short time scales, where the effect of nonlinear terms is negligible, the continuum theory predicts ripple formation. We demonstrate that in addition to relaxation by thermal surface diffusion, the sputtering process can also contribute to the smoothing mechanisms shaping the surface morphology. We explicitly calculate an effective surface diffusion constant characterizing this smoothing effect and show that it is responsible for the low temperature ripple formation observed in various experiments. At long time scales the nonlinear terms dominate the evolution of the surface morphology. The nonlinear terms lead to the stabilization of the ripple wavelength and we show that, depending on the experimental parameters, such as angle of incidence and ion energy, different morphologies can be observed: asymptotically, sputter eroded surfaces could undergo kinetic roughening, or can display novel ordered structures with rotated ripples. Finally, we discuss in detail the existing experimental support for the proposed theory and uncover novel features of the surface morphology and evolution, that could be directly tested experimentally.
Description
43 pages, 23 figures.-- PACS nrs.: 61.80.Az; 68.35.Bs; 64.60.Ht.-- ArXiv pre-print available at: http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0007354
Final publisher version available Open Access at: http://gisc.uc3m.es/~cuerno/publ_list.html
Keywords
Surface morphology, Ion irradiation, Ripples, Sputtering, Roughening
Bibliographic citation
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B, 2002, vol. 197, n. 3-4, p. 185-227
Collections
DM - GISC - Artículos de Revistas