Erosive versus shadowing instabilities in the self-organized ion patterning of polycrystalline metal films
- CNISM and Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova (Italy)
- Institut za kovinske materiale in tehnologije, Lepi pot 11, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)
We report on the self-organized patterning of polycrystalline metal films supported on dielectric substrates using defocused Ar{sup +} ion-beam sputtering at glancing incidence. The data demonstrate that a nonflat initial surface morphology does plays a critical role in triggering self-organization during the early stages, where the distribution of polycrystalline grains initially imposes a nonstochastic spatial modulation of the ion impact sites. A crossover to the conventional erosive regime observed for single crystals sets in at longer sputtering times. Surprisingly, the vertical and lateral modulation of the pristine surface profile of the nonflat films results in a substantial reduction in the ion dose required for the formation of the nanoscale patterns, in comparison to the case of an initially flat film.
- OSTI ID:
- 21192462
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 78, Issue 15; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.78.153406; (c) 2008 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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