Thermal and cascade-recoil sputtering of bipartite metal clusters under low-energy argon ion bombardment

Abstract

The molecular dynamics simulation of free bipartite CuBi and CuAu clusters, consisting of 390 atoms under bombardment with Ar, Ar 2 and Ar 13 particles with energies from 1 eV to 1.4 keV is performed. The sputtering yields of the monocomponental parts of the cluster and the number of polyatomic fragments in sputtered material were calculated. The dependences of the temperature on the energy and size of the bombarding particles are obtained. Also we discuss the sputtering mechanisms related to the evaporation of atoms from the cluster surface at high temperatures.