Damage and repair of organic and inorganic surfaces by Ar+ ion and gas cluster ion beam sputtering

Abstract

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to study the interactions of argon ion and argon gas cluster ion beams with the surfaces of organic and inorganic materials. These methods of sputtering surfaces are commonly used to remove surface material to construct depth profiles by surface-sensitive techniques like XPS and SIMS. Standard argon ion sputtering has been known to damage polymer surfaces. This is demonstrated here on poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polytetrafluoroethylene. Subsequently, the damaged surfaces could be returned to their pristine state by sputtering with GCIB, which does not damage polymer surfaces. While GCIB can remove surface polymer material without damaging the underlying material, it is shown here to cause damage to the chalcogenide material, copper indium gallium selenide. Sputtering with a gas cluster ion beam was shown to selectively remove selenium from the copper indium gallium selenide structure. Additionally, chemical reduction of copper, indium, and gallium was observed. Subsequent to inducing damage to the CIGS surfaces with gas cluster ion beam, the surface could be returned to its pristine state by sputtering with argon ions to remove the damaged layer. This work demonstrates the applicability of various sputtering methods for organic and inorganic materials, suggests the route of damage formation, and shows the ability to remove the surface damage by a compatible sputtering method.