Key factors of ion induced nanopatterning

Abstract We have reported the dependence of projectile mass, chemical reactivity and effect of molecular beams on ion induced nano structure formation, when 8 keV He1+, N1+, O1+, Ar1+ atomic ions and 16 keV N 2 1 + and O 2 1 + molecular ions are used to bombard a Si(1 0 0) surface at an incidence angle of 60°. It is shown that the initiation and growth of ripple structures depend not only on the collision cascades but also on the chemical reactivity and molecular state of the projectiles. This experimental investigation explores the necessary requirements for ion induced controlled nanopatterning.