On the energy spectra of secondary ions emitted from silicon and graphite single crystals

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Secondary ion emission from silicon and graphite single crystals bombarded by argon ions with energies E 0 varied from 1 to 10 keV at various angles of incidence α has been studied. The evolution of the energy spectra of C+ and Si+ secondary ions has been traced in which the positions of maxima (E max) shift toward higher secondary-ion energies E 1 with increasing polar emission angle θ (measured from the normal to the sample surface). The opposite trend has been observed for ions emitted from single crystals heated to several hundred degrees Centigrade; the E max values initially remain unchanged and then shift toward lower energies E 1 with increasing angle θ. It is established that the magnitude and position of a peak in the energy spectrum of secondary C+ ions is virtually independent of E 0, angle α, and the surface relief of the sample (in the E 0 and α intervals studied). Unusual oscillating energy distributions are discussed, which have been observed for secondary ions emitted from silicon (111) and layered graphite (0001) faces. Numerical simulations of secondary ion sputtering and charge exchange have been performed. A comparison of the measured and calculated data for graphite crystals has shown that C+ ions are formed as a result of charge exchange between secondary ions and bombarding Ar+ ions, which takes place both outside and inside the target. This substantially differs from the ion sputtering process in metals and must be taken into account when analyzing secondary ion emission mechanisms and in practical applications of secondary-ion mass spectrometry.