Kinetic Sputtering Research Articles

SiO2 sputtering by low-energy Ar+, Kr+, and Xe+ ions in plasma conditions

Modern plasma technologies applied for nm-size devices require localizing ions’ impact within up to atomic layer to avoid uncontrollable damage of underlying structures. The decrease in energy of ions incident on a surface is one of the ways to achieve this. In this work, SiO2 sputtering by Ar+, Kr+, and Xe+ ions at energies of 20–200 eV was studies in the low-pressure ICP-discharge at a plasma density typical for plasma processing. The rf-bias waveform tailoring due to high discharge asymmetry allowed generating and controlling ion narrow energy spectrum with FWHM 5±2 eV. Real time in-situ control over ion composition and flux as well as sputtering rate provided accurate determination of the SiO2 sputtering yield, . It is shown that at ion energy above ∼70 eV, the “classical” kinetic sputtering mechanism prevails. In this case, rapidly grows with ion energy, while decreasing with the decrease in ion mass. Below ∼70 eV, the change of is strongly slow down while the sputtering yield still stays high enough (>10-3), demonstrating the plasma impact on the sputtering mechanism. The obtained trends of under the plasma exposure are discussed in light of possible SiO2 surface modification studied by AFM and angular XPS analysis.

Dust evolution in a supernova interacting with the ISM

ABSTRACT Supernovae (SNe) explosions are thought to be an important source of dust in galaxies. At the same time strong shocks from SNe are known as an efficient mechanism of dust destruction via thermal and kinetic sputtering. A critically important question of how these two hypotheses of SNe activity control the dust budget in galaxies is still not quite clearly understood. In this paper, we address this question within 3D multifluid hydrodynamical simulations, treating separately the SNe injected dust and the dust pre-existed in ambient interstellar gas. We focus primarily on how the injected and the pre-existing dust is destroyed by shock waves and hot gas in the SN bubble depending on the density of ambient gas. Within our model, we estimate an upper limit of the SN-produced dust mass which can be supplied into interstellar medium. For an SN progenitor mass of 30 M⊙ and the ejected dust mass Md = 1 M⊙, we constrain the dust mass that can be delivered into the ISM as ≥0.13 M⊙, provided that the SN has injected large dust particles with a ≥ 0.1 µm.

Sputtering of amorphous Si by low-energy Ar+, Kr+, and Xe+ ions

Atomic layer plasma technologies require localizing ions' impact within nanometers up to an atomic layer. The possible way to achieve this is the decrease in the ion energy up to surface binding energy. At such low ion kinetic energies, the impact of different plasma effects, causing the surface modification, can be of the same order as kinetic ones. In this work, we studied the sputtering of amorphous silicon films by Ar+, Kr+, and Xe+ ions at energies of 20–200 eV under the low-pressure inductively coupled plasma discharge in pure argon, krypton, and xenon, respectively, at a plasma density of 1–1.5 × 1010 cm−3. Under the plasma conditions, a high asymmetry of discharge allowed to form ion flux energy distribution functions with narrow energy peak (5 ± 2 eV full width at half maximum). Real time in situ control over the ion composition and flux as well as the sputtering rate (the ratio of the film thickness change to the sputtering time) provided accurate determination of the sputtering yields Y(Ei). It is shown that at ion energy above ∼70 eV, the “classical” kinetic sputtering mechanism prevails. In this case, Y(Ei) grows rather rapidly with ion energy, increasing with the decrease in the ion mass: the closer the ion mass to the target atom mass, the higher the Y(Ei). Below 70 eV, the growth of Y(Ei) strongly slows down, with Y(20eV) being still high (>10−3), indicating the impact of plasma. The obtained trends of Y(Ei) are discussed in light of surface modification studied by atomic force microscopy and angular x-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy.

Dust survival rates in clumps passing through the Cas A reverse shock – II. The impact of magnetic fields

ABSTRACTDust grains form in the clumpy ejecta of core-collapse supernovae where they are subject to the reverse shock, which is able to disrupt the clumps and destroy the grains. Important dust destruction processes include thermal and kinetic sputtering as well as fragmentation and grain vaporization. In the present study, we focus on the effect of magnetic fields on the destruction processes. We have performed magnetohydrodynamical simulations using AstroBEAR to model a shock wave interacting with an ejecta clump. The dust transport and destruction fractions are computed using our post-processing code Paperboats, in which the acceleration of grains due to the magnetic field and a procedure that allows partial grain vaporization have been newly implemented. For the oxygen-rich supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, we found a significantly lower dust survival rate when magnetic fields are aligned perpendicular to the shock direction compared to the non-magnetic case. For a parallel field alignment, the destruction is also enhanced but at a lower level. The survival fractions depend sensitively on the gas density contrast between the clump and the ambient medium and on the grain sizes. For a low-density contrast of 100, e.g. 5 nm silicate grains are completely destroyed while the survival fraction of $1\,\mu{\rm m}$ grains is 86 per cent. For a high-density contrast of 1000, 95 per cent of the 5 nm grains survive while the survival fraction of $1\,\mu{\rm m}$ grains is 26 per cent. Alternative clump sizes or dust materials (carbon) have non-negligible effects on the survival rate but have a lower impact compared to density contrast, magnetic field strength, and grain size.

The Effect of Temperature and Sputtered Particles on the Wettability of Al/Al2O3.

Two kinds of Al2O3 ceramic samples with and without Al film deposited were designed respectively. The influences of temperature and high kinetic energy sputtering particles on the wettability and interface strength of Al/Al2O3 were studied by comparing the wetting behavior of molten aluminum on two samples. The results show that molten aluminum does not wet the Al2O3 sample without Al film deposited at 700 °C, the contact angle is 165°, and the interfacial shear strength is 28 MPa. With the increase of temperature, the contact angle decreases continuously, and the interface shear strength gradually increases. The fracture of the brazed joint is transferred from the interface to the brazing seam. In comparison, the sample deposited with Al film is wetted by molten aluminum at 700 °C, and the contact angle is only 12°. The interface shear strength is about 120 MPa and is less affected by temperature. The shear fracture of the joint occurs in the brazed seam of Al metal. Therefore, the high energy generated by either the temperature increase or the particle sputtering enable the Al atoms to overcome the energy barrier to form Al–O bonds with the O atoms on the Al2O3 ceramic surface, thereby improving the wettability of Al/Al2O3.

Simulation of the Physicochemical Effect of Atomic Oxygen of the Earth’s Ionosphere on Polymers

A procedure has been developed for simulating the long-term effect of atomic oxygen (AO) of the Earth’s ionosphere on spacecraft polymers in a rarefied plasma flow using Kapton H polyimide as a reference material. The condition for the equivalence of the effect of AO on polymers in the ionosphere and at a test bench is the equality of the mass loss. When Kapton H is bombarded with atomic oxygen ions having energies of 30–80 eV, the mass loss due to chemical etching is two orders of magnitude higher than in the case of kinetic sputtering, and the AO fluence and the acceleration factor of tests on the bench are two orders of magnitude higher than in a 5-eV atomic oxygen beam.

Прискорення ресурсних випробувань полімерів космічних апаратів на стійкість до тривалої дії атомарного кисню в іоносфері Землі

The procedure of accelerated resource tests of spacecraft polymers for their resistance to the long-term influence of atomic oxygen (AO) in the Earth's ionosphere at altitudes from 200 to 700 km has been developed. The procedure involves irradiation of polymers with high-energy ions of atomic oxygen and the use of a kapton-H polyimide as reference material. The condition of equivalence of the " atomic oxygen - polymer" interaction in the ionosphere and on the laboratory set is the equality of tested material mass loss. The basis for substantiating the procedure of accelerated tests is the result: when irradiating the kapton-H polymer with high-energy atomic oxygen ions in the energy range from 30 to 80 eV, the degradation of polyimide is determined by the process of chemical etching of the material. To substantiate the procedure of accelerating resource tests of polymeric structural materials of spacecraft for resistance to long-term action of atomic oxygen flows, the dependences of mass loss and volumetric mass loss factor (reactivity) of kapton-H polyimide and Teflon FEP-100A on fluence and energy of the atomic oxygen ions have been obtained. It is shown that when irradiating kapton-H polyimide with atomic oxygen ions with the energy of 30 to 80 eV, the material mass loss due to chemical etching is about an order of magnitude greater than the mass loss due to kinetic sputtering. When the kapton-H polymer is irradiated with high-energy atomic oxygen ions, the coefficient of acceleration of the resource tests and the fluence of atomic oxygen are about two orders of magnitude greater than the coefficient of acceleration obtained using atomic oxygen ions with an energy of 5 eV.

The Dynamics, Destruction, and Survival of Supernova-formed Dust Grains

Abstract Observations have demonstrated that supernovae efficiently produce dust. This is consistent with the hypothesis that supernovae and asymptotic giant branch stars are the primary producers of dust in the universe. However, there has been a longstanding question of how much of the dust detected in the interiors of young supernova remnants can escape into the interstellar medium. We present new hydrodynamical calculations of the evolution of dust grains that were formed in dense ejecta clumps within a Cas A–like remnant. We follow the dynamics of the grains as they decouple from the gas after their clump is hit by the reverse shock. They are subsequently subject to destruction by thermal and kinetic sputtering as they traverse the remnant. Grains that are large enough (∼0.25 μm for silicates and ∼0.1 μm for carbonaceous grains) escape into the interstellar medium while smaller grains get trapped and destroyed. However, grains that reach the interstellar medium still have high velocities, and are subject to further destruction as they are slowed down. We find that for initial grain size distributions that include large (∼0.25–0.5 μm) grains, 10%–20% of silicate grains can survive, while 30–50% of carbonaceous grains survive even when the initial size distribution cuts off at smaller (0.25 μm) sizes. For a 19 M ⊙ star similar to the progenitor of Cas A, up to 0.1 M ⊙ of dust can survive if the dust grains formed are large. Thus we show that supernovae under the right conditions can be significant sources of interstellar dust.

Dust Destruction by Drift-induced Sputtering in Active Galactic Nuclei

Abstract Recent mid-infrared high spatial resolution observations have revealed that active galactic nuclei (AGNs) may host a polar dust region with the size of several pc, and such dust may be carried by radiation from the central engine. The polar dust emission often exhibits very weak or absence of the silicate 10 μm emission feature. A possible explanation is that the polar dust is dominated by micron-sized large grains because these grains do not show the silicate feature, while it remains unclear how large grains are preferentially supplied to the polar region. Here, we propose a new scenario describing the prevalence of large grains at the polar region. We show that grains are accelerated to the hypersonic drift velocity by the radiation pressure from AGN, and the hypersonic drift results in dust destruction via kinetic sputtering. Sputtering destroys small grains faster than the large ones, and thus larger grains will be preferentially blown over longer distance. Although the hypersonic drift, or kinetic sputtering, tends to be suppressed for very small grains due to the Coulomb drag, they might also be disrupted by Coulomb explosion. Removal of small grains and/or survival of large grains may explain the lack of a silicate 10 μm emission feature in polar dust emission.

Solar wind sputtering of lunar analogue material

SynopsisSputtering by solar wind ions is investigated on thin films of the mineral wollastonite (CaSiO3) as an analogue material for the lunar surface. Sputtering yields are measured with a Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) using H and He ions as well as multiply charged Ar ions at different incidence angles. The results of these irradiations show that kinetic sputtering can be very well reproduced using SDTrimSP, while potential sputtering significantly increases the expected erosion of airless bodies in the solar system.

Energy deposition of highly charged ions transmitted through single layer MoS2

SynopsisHighly charged ions (HCIs) are an efficient tool for the perforation of suspended 2D materials. Only a fraction of their potential energy is transferred to the atomically thin target during the very short interaction time and is available for pore formation. Charge exchange spectra were measured for highly charged xenon ions transmitted through suspended, single layer MoS2 in order to determine the deposited potential energy available for pore formation. Additionally, charge exchange dependent ion stopping responsible for kinetic sputtering was measured simultaneously.

Solar wind sputtering of wollastonite as a lunar analogue material – Comparisons between experiments and simulations

The sputtering of wollastonite (CaSiO3) by solar wind-relevant ions has been investigated experimentally and the results are compared to the binary collision approximation (BCA) codes SDTrimSP and SRIM-2013. Absolute sputtering yields are presented for Ar projectiles as a function of ion impact energy, charge state and impact angle as well as for solar wind H projectiles as a function of impact angle. Erosion of wollastonite by singly charged Ar ions is dominated by kinetic sputtering. The absolute magnitude of the sputtering yield and its dependence on the projectile impact angle can be well described by SDTrimSP as long as the actual sample composition is used in the simulation. SRIM-2013 largely overestimates the yield especially at grazing impact angles. For higher Ar charge states, the measured yield is strongly enhanced due to potential sputtering. Sputtering yields under solar wind-relevant H+ bombardment are smaller by two orders of magnitude compared to Ar. Our experimental yields also show a less pronounced angular dependence than predicted by both BCA programs, probably due to H implantation in the sample. Based on our experimental findings and extrapolations to other solar wind ions by using SDTrimSP, we present a model for the complete solar wind sputtering of a flat wollastonite surface as a function of projectile ion impact angle, which predicts a sputtering yield of 1.29 atomic mass units per solar wind ion for normal impact. We find that mostly He and some heavier ions increase the sputtering yield by more than a factor of two as compared to bombardment with only H+ ions.

Contributions of solar-wind induced potential sputtering to the lunar surface erosion rate and it’s exosphere

Abstract Sputtering of lunar regolith by solar-wind protons and heavy ions with kinetic energies of about 1 keV/amu is an important erosive process that affects the lunar surface and exosphere. It plays an important role in changing the chemical composition and thickness of the surface layer, and in introducing material into the exosphere. Kinetic sputtering is well modeled and understood, but understanding of mechanisms of potential sputtering has lagged behind. In this study we differentiate the contributions of potential sputtering from the standard (kinetic) sputtering in changing the chemical composition and erosion rate of the lunar surface. Also we study the contribution of potential sputtering in developing the lunar exosphere. Our results show that potential sputtering enhances the total characteristic sputtering erosion rate by about 44%, and reduces sputtering time scales by the same amount. Potential sputtering also introduces more material into the lunar exosphere.

Kinetic and potential sputtering of an anorthite‐like glassy thin film

AbstractIn this paper, we present measurements of He+ and He+2 ion‐induced sputtering of an anorthite‐like thin film at a fixed solar wind‐relevant impact energy of ~0.5 keV/amu using a quartz crystal microbalance approach (QCM) for determination of total absolute sputtering yields. He+2 ions are the most abundant multicharged ions in the solar wind, and increased sputtering by these ions in comparison to equivelocity He+ ions is expected to have the biggest effect on the overall sputtering efficiency of solar wind impact on the Moon. Our measurements indicate an almost 70% increase of the sputtering yield for doubly charged incident He ions compared to that for same velocity He+ impact (14.6 amu/ion for He+2 vs. 8.7 amu/ion for He+). Using a selective sputtering model, the new QCM results presented here, together with previously published results for Ar+q ions and SRIM results for the relevant kinetic‐sputtering yields, the effect due to multicharged‐solar‐wind‐ion impact on local near‐surface modification of lunar anorthite‐like soil is explored. It is shown that the multicharged‐solar‐wind component leads to a more pronounced and significant differentiation of depleted and enriched surface elements as well as a shortening of the timescale over which such surface‐compositional modifications might occur in astrophysical settings. In addition, to validate previous and future determinations of multicharged‐ion‐induced sputtering enhancement for those cases where the QCM approach cannot be used, relative quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS)‐based measurements are presented for the same anorthite‐like thin film as were investigated by QCM, and their suitability and limitations for charge state‐enhanced yield measurements are discussed.

Dust destruction by the reverse shock in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant

Core collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are important sources of interstellar dust, potentially capable of producing one solar mass of dust in their explosively expelled ejecta. However, unlike other dust sources, the dust has to survive the passage of the reverse shock, generated by the interaction of the supernova blast wave with its surrounding medium. Knowledge of the net amount of dust produced by CCSNe is crucial for understanding the origin and evolution of dust in the local and high-redshift universe. Our aim is to identify the dust destruction mechanisms in the ejecta, and derive the net amount of dust that survives the passage of the reverse shock. We use analytical models for the evolution of a supernova blast wave and of the reverse shock, with special application to the clumpy ejecta of the remnant of Cassiopeia A. We assume that the dust resides in cool oxygen-rich clumps that are uniformly distributed within the remnant and surrounded by a hot X-ray emitting plasma, and that the dust consists of silicates (MgSiO3) and amorphous carbon grains. The passage of the reverse shock through the clumps gives rise to a relative gas-grain motion and also destroys the clumps. Inside the ejecta clouds, dust is processed via kinetic sputtering, which is terminated either when the grains escape the clumps, or when the clumps are destroyed by the reverse shock. In either case, grain destruction proceeds thereafter by thermal sputtering in the hot ambient gas. We find that 11.8% and 15.9% of, respectively, the silicate and carbon dust survives the passage of the reverse shock by the time the shock has reached the center of the remnant. These fractions depend on the morphology of the ejecta and the medium into which the remnant is expanding, as well as the composition and size distribution of the grains that formed in the ejecta. Results will therefore differ for different types of supernovae.

Sputtering of Lunar Regolith by Solar Wind Protons and Heavy Ions, and General Aspects of Potential Sputtering

New simulation results for the sputtering of lunar soil surface by solar-wind protons and heavy ions will be presented. Previous simulation results showed that the sputtering process has significant effects and plays an important role in changing the surface chemical composition, setting the erosion rate and the sputtering process timescale. In this new work and in light of recent data, we briefly present some theoretical models which have been developed to describe the sputtering process and compare their results with recent calculation to investigate and differentiate the roles and the contributions of potential (or electrodynamic) sputtering from the standard (or kinetic) sputtering.

Solar-wind protons and heavy ions sputtering of lunar surface materials

Lunar surface materials are exposed to ∼1 keV/amu solar-wind protons and heavy ions on almost continuous basis. As the lunar surface consists of mostly oxides, these materials suffer, in principle, both kinetic and potential sputtering due to the actions of the solar-wind ions. Sputtering is an important mechanism affecting the composition of both the lunar surface and its tenuous exosphere. While the contribution of kinetic sputtering to the changes in the composition of the surface layer of these oxides is well understood and modeled, the role and implications of potential sputtering remain unclear. As new potential-sputtering data from multi-charged ions impacting lunar regolith simulants are becoming available from Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s MIRF, we examine the role and possible implications of potential sputtering of Lunar KREEP soil. Using a non-equilibrium model we demonstrate that solar-wind heavy ions’ induced sputtering is critical in establishing the timescale of the overall solar-wind sputtering process of the lunar surface. We also show that potential sputtering leads to a more pronounced and significant differentiation between depleted and enriched surface elements. We briefly discuss the impacts of enhanced sputtering on the composition of the regolith and the exosphere, as well as of solar-wind sputtering as a source of hydrogen and water on the moon.

Potential sputtering of ionic species from rare gas solids by multiply charged ionimpact

The interaction of low-energy multiply chargedArq + (q ≤ 7) ions with a solid Ne surface is experimentally studied. Desorption of very large cluster ionsNen + (n > 100) is observed. The size distribution of smaller (n = 1–3) cluster ions depends strongly on the charge state of the incident ion, whereas that of larger (n > 7) cluster ions exhibits no dependence on the charge state, indicating that desorption oflarge cluster ions is due to kinetic sputtering. The potential sputtering yield is estimated byanalyzing the size distribution of the desorbed cluster ions. The results suggest that the iondesorption mechanism, which is known as desorption induced by electronic transitions, canalso be applied to explain the present results.

English

Electronic sputtering of carbon from hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H/Si) film and oxygen from copper oxide (CuO/Si) film at different electronic energy loss (Se) value is reported. The sputtering is monitored by online elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) technique and the yield (sputtered atoms/incident ion) is determined. Two important results emerging out from this study are: (i) much higher yield of C and O from a-C:H and CuO films as compared to conventional kinetic sputtering and (ii) sputtering yield increases with increase in Se in both the cases. These observations are understood on the basis of thermal spike model of ion-solid interaction. Defence Science Journal, 2009, 59(4), pp.370-376 , DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.59.1536

Fabrication of Step-and-Flash Imprint Lithography (S-FIL) templates using XeF2 enhanced focused ion-beam etching

The fabrication of Step-and-Flash Imprint Lithography (S-FIL) templates with line widths of 50 nm is described in this work. The structures have been patterned using a Ga+ focused ion beam (FIB) in a quartz template. FIB milling is generally accompanied with re-deposition effects, which represent a hindrance to densely patterned nanostructures required in most NIL applications. To reduce these re-deposition effects, in this research, xenon difluoride (XeF2) enhanced FIB etching was applied that also increases the material removal rates in comparison to pure kinetic ion sputtering. To optimise the process when using XeF2 gas the following ion scanning parameters have been examined: ion dose, beam current, dwell time and beam overlap (step size). It has been found that the assisting gases at very low doses do not bring significant etching enhancements whilst the sputtering rates have increased at high doses. Using the XeF2 gas-assisted etching, FIB structuring has been used to fabricate <100 nm structures onto quartz S-FIL templates. The presence of XeF2 considerably enhances the etching rate of quartz without any significant negative effects on the spatial resolution of the FIB lithographic process and reduces the template processing time.