An experimental investigation of angular resolved energy distributions of atoms sputtered from evaporated aluminum films
Abstract
A study of angular resolved velocity (energy) distributions of atoms sputtered from in situ prepared metal films is described in this contribution. The velocity resolution of the set-up is based on the pulsed laser-induced fluorescence technique, i.e., scanning the narrow bandwidth dye laser radiation over the Doppler broadened absorption profile of the sputtered particles. The arrangement of the vacuum vessel and fluorescence detection optics provides the means for an independent selection of the observed emission direction and the angle of incidence. A pulsed ion gun is applied to bombard the target with noble gas ions in the energy range between 200 and 500 eV. The target assembly allows the preparation of thin metal films by evaporation on optically polished glass substrates without break of the vacuum. We report on measurements obtained with this arrangement, i.e., the determination of energy distributions of sputtered aluminum atoms. The bombardment at both the normal and the oblique incidence of the ion beam are contained in the investigation. Pronounced anisotropic effects are observed in both cases. In the case of oblique bombardment the shape of the distributions reflects cascade effects as well as single collision properties. The energy distribution is approximated with the aid of an energy spectrum involving a superposition of exponential functions. The experimental results are compared with simulations obtained by the Monte Carlo code TRIM.SP.
- Publication:
-
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B
- Pub Date:
- August 2001
- DOI:
- 10.1016/S0168-583X(01)00573-0
- Bibcode:
- 2001NIMPB.179..351G