Theory of surface dynamic variation during the high-temperature field evaporation

Abstract

We consider the heated surface of a metallic tip to which a strong electric field is applied. At temperatures activating surface self-diffusion, crystalline outgrowths and microprotrusions arise on the surface. The latter generate ion fluxes, i.e., act as sources of high-temperature field evaporation, when a positive potential is applied to the emitter. The existence conditions for the microprotrusions on the emitter surface are discussed. It is shown that their stability is provided by the balance between three atomic fluxes: diffusion from the top of the tip, diffusion toward the top, and field evaporation from the top. Different ways of providing such a balance are discussed. In a desorption-type field ion microscope, the microprotrusions and evaporating ions are visualized as bright spots. These spots execute random motion and, at the same time, exhibit ordered cyclic displacements: the microprotrusions first form dotted rings along the developed faces of the crystalline emitter, and then these rings quickly collapse toward the center of the face. A quantitative theory of these cyclic processes is developed for the first time. It explains why the rings “calm down” before collapse and why subsequent collapse develops in an avalanchelike manner. The electric field distribution over the surface in the presence of an outgrowth is calculated, and diffusion fluxes at different stages of its growth and dissolution are analyzed. The calculation shows that the outgrowth heights are relatively small and their slopes are rather smooth.