IngentaConnect On the role of ion flux in nanostructuring by ion sputter erosion

Authors: Fan, Wen-bin; Li, Wei-qing; Qi, Le-jun; Sun, Hai-tong; Luo, Jia; Zhao, You-yuan; Lu, Ming

Source: Nanotechnology, Volume 16, Number 9, September 2005 , pp. 1526-1529(4)

Publisher: Institute of Physics Publishing

Abstract:

The role of ion flux in Si(100) nanostructuring by normal-incidence Ar⁺ ion sputtering has been studied. The measured relationships of the Si lateral dot size versus ion flux, the surface roughness versus ion flux, and the surface roughness versus sample temperature with ion fluxes of 20 and 380 µA cm^-2 all indicate that the value of the ion flux is decisive for the validity of the Bradley–Harper (BH) model in the nanostructuring of semiconductor single crystals. In this work, for Ar⁺ ion sputtering of Si(100) with ion energy of 1.5 keV, it is found that only beyond ~220 µA cm^-2 is the BH model well applicable, while below that the Ehrlich–Schwoebel (ES) one tends to be involved. Our results suggest that the ES barrier effect is negligible under relatively high flux conditions, while it is substantial in the case of relatively low flux; for the BH model, the situation is just the reverse. Hence, caution should be exercised as regards the value of the ion flux when one tries to tune the semiconductor nanodot size following the BH model.

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