Computer simulation of surface modification with ion beams

Abstract

Interactions of energetic ions with various solid targets including silicon and a few metal surfaces were studied by computer simulation and verified by experiment. Surface sputtering and modification for collisions of Arn (n∼100) cluster ions, with kinetic energies of 12–54eV/atom, and slow highly charged ions (HCI), with potential energies of 80–3500eV, have been simulated. Various energy transfer mechanisms of the ion energy into the solid target, such as shock wave generation, hollow atom formation, Coulomb explosion, charge screening and neutralization were studied. Atomistic molecular dynamics (MD), as well as a phenomenological surface dynamics methods were employed and the results of the simulations were compared with the experimental data.