Fractal characterizations of energetic Si ions irradiated amorphized‐Si surfaces

Abstract

The fractal characterizations of amorphized‐silicon (a‐Si) surfaces under low‐energy ion irradiations are presented. The crystalline Si surfaces have been irradiated with Si ions having different energy of 35, 50, 75, and 100 keV at a fixed fluence of 2 × 1015 ions‐cm−2. The samples have been characterized by means of using Raman spectroscopy, Channeling‐Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (C‐RBS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The ion irradiation leads to the amorphization of Si near surface and subsurface region, as confirmed by Raman and C‐RBS measurement. The AFM analysis shows that the ion irradiation also leads to the formation of nanodots on the surface and size of the dots increases with increasing of the ion energy. The fractal analysis has been performed using AFM images in order to get the significant evidence about nanodot formations and the correlation inside the surface microstructures. The kinetic roughening and surface smoothening, due to dissipation of kinetic energy of ions through collision cascades of the surface atoms, lead to the formation of dot‐like structures.

Investigating ripple pattern formation and damage profiles in Si and Ge induced by 100 keV Ar+ ion beam: a comparative study

“…Formation of dots, ripples, and pits have been well studied using IBS [4][5][6][7][8][9]. In the last few decades, numerous efforts have been made to understand IBS through simulations [10] as well as experimental results [11,12]. Thanks to these efforts, desired nanopattern features with a large degree of control may be achieved, according to specific applications, on a wide variety of targets.…”

Determination of Surface Structural Complexity of Solid-State Materials

“…There are some investigations of their surfaces and its features. For example, the authors in [2] studied fractal characteristics of Si surfaces, amorphized by energetic Si ions. The authors of [3] investigated structural modification of a Si crystal by Kr+, Ag+ and Au+ ions.…”