Competition of terrace and step-edge sputtering under oblique-incidence ion impact on a stepped Pt(1 1 1) surface
✍ Scribed by Yudi Rosandi; Alex Redinger; Thomas Michely; Herbert M. Urbassek
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2009
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 380 KB
- Volume
- 267
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0168-583X
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✦ Synopsis
Using molecular-dynamics simulation, we study the sputtering of a Pt(1 1 1) surface under oblique and glancing incidence 5 keV Ar ions. For incidence angles larger than a critical angle # c , the projectile is reflected off the surface and the sputter yield is zero. We discuss the azimuth dependence of the critical angle # c with the help of the surface corrugation felt by the impinging ion. If a step exists on the surface, sputtering occurs also for glancing incidence # > # c . We demonstrate that for realistic step densities, the total sputtering of a stepped surface may be sizable even at glancing incidence.