No abstract

Molecular dynamics computer simulations are employed to investigate, at the atomic scale, the process of Ag(111) surface erosion stimulated by continuous bombardment by 20-keV Au3 and C60 clusters at 0° and 70° impact angles. The surface modification, the total sputtering yield, and the kinetic energy and angular distributions of ejected species are calculated at fluences ranging from 0 up to ∼3 × 1013 impacts/cm2. It is shown that Au3 irradiation leads to a more corrugated surface as compared to C60 bombardment. The development of the surface topography and aggregated alteration of the bulk have a significant influence on the total sputtering yield and the angular spectra, whereas the shape of the kinetic energy distributions are not sensitive to the modification of the sample morphology.