Sputtering of Si nanospheres

Sputter yield of curved surfaces

“…From previous simulations [12], we know the sputter yield of a flat target, Y ∞ (θ), as a function of the incidence angle. In addition, the geometrical parameters describing the spatial distribution of the energy deposited in a flat target are known: they are a = 208.9Å, α = 123.0Å, and β = 79.7Å.…”

“…The techniques employed are analogous to those used in a previous study of the sputtering of nanospheres [12]. We assemble the essential details for the convenience of the reader.…”

“…We also include the MC results obtained for spheres of radius R in Ref. 12; the analytical prediction for the curvature correction for the sphere [see Eq. (1)] is exactly twice that for the cylinder.…”

“…In that study deviations from Eq. (1) for small sphere radii are also investigated by Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for the specific case of 20 keV Ar ions impinging on amorphous silicon (a-Si) spheres [12]. The effect of local surface curvature on the sputtering of non-spherical particles has not been explored nearly as well.…”

“…Molecular dynamics simulations have been employed to analyze specific cases [5][6][7][8][9][10]. A recent study [11,12] systematically explores the size dependence of the sputtering of a sphere by a single ion and finds that for large radii R and perpendicular impact, the sphere's sputter yield, Y sphere R , is greater than that of a flat surface, Y ∞ :…”