Secondary particle emission from sapphire single crystal

Abstract

Secondary ion emission from sapphire single crystal has been studied experimentally and by means of computer simulation. The particular oscillations of secondary ion energy spectra and two specific maxima of O+ and Al+ ions were observed under irradiation of (0001) sapphire face by 1 and 10keV Ar+ ions. We have explained this by the interplay of the charge exchange processes between moving particles and solids. The existence of two maxima in energy spectra of O+ and Al+ secondary ions can be also connected with special features of single-crystal sputtering: the low-energy peak can be formed by random sputtering and the high-energy peak from focusing collisions. In addition some similarity was found between the positions of low-energy maximum in energy spectra of Al+ ions emitted from sapphire and the principal maxima of Al+ ions ejected from the aluminum single crystal. This indicates a possibility to explain the presence of low-energy maximum in energy spectra of secondary ions ejecting from sapphire by emission of Al+ ions from aluminum islands appearing in a number of cases on the sapphire surface due to preferential sputtering of oxygen. These different mechanisms of creating the energy spectra of ions emitted from sapphire should be taken in account.