Low Energy Ar Ion Bombardment of (001) Si: Defects and Surface Morphology

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe interaction of low energy Ar+ ions with several surface defect structures on (001) Si has been investigated using molecular dynamics simulation. The simulations suggest that ions with energy less than 20 eV selectively displace surface atoms without causing bulk damage, and that the displacement energies for different defect structures is different. The most important effect of ion bombardment on surface morphology is the increased formation rate of single adatoms, which may lead to smoother surfaces by enhanced coarsening at typical epitaxial temperatures. Simulations results also imply that the migration component of adatom diffusion is not significantly enhanced by ion bombardment at typical epitaxial temperatures (600 – 800 K).