Heavy ion elastic recoil detection analysis set up for electronic sputtering studies

Abstract

Heavy ion elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) set up with a large solid angle (∼4.8 msr) Δ E−E position-sensitive telescope detector is developed at Inter University Accelerator Centre as a dedicated facility for the study of electronic sputtering of thin films under swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation. The detector consists of a gas ionization chamber (Δ E) and a solid-state surface barrier detector (E) housed in a same assembly. The electronic sputtering yield (atoms/ion) is determined by analyzing on-line fluence-dependent ERDA data obtained from a variety of thin films. Large erosion (>105 atoms/ion) of carbon from a-C:H by 150 MeV Ag13+ ions, evolution of nitrogen (∼880 atoms/ion) from copper nitride and depletion of oxygen (∼1000 atoms/ion) from copper oxide film under 200 MeV Au15+ ion impact are studied and reported in this work. The electronic sputtering of these materials is discussed on the basis of the thermal spike model of SHI and solid interaction.