Surface nanopatterning of Si by ion beam irradiation with sub-sputter-threshold energy Articles uri icon

publication date

  • October 2025

start page

  • 1

end page

  • 18

issue

  • 16, 165408

volume

  • 112

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1098-0121

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1550-235X

abstract

  • We examine the formation of nanoscale patterns on silicon surfaces subjected to ion beam irradiation at energies below the sputtering threshold, which suppresses net erosion. Using Kr ions with well-defined energies, we provide solid evidence that mass redistribution alone can lead to surface instability and the formation of patterns. The experimentally observed ripple structures are well described by continuum models that describe similar pattern formation processes on the surfaces of Aeolian sand dunes. This suggests that ion winds are responsible for redistributing surface atoms, forming the observed ripple patterns.

subjects

  • Physics

keywords

  • growth processes; ion impact & scattering; irradiation effects; nonequilibrium statistical mechanics; self-organized systems; surface instabilities; surface growth; chaos and nonlinear dynamics; irradiation; pattern formation