Energies,charges, and sizes of clusters under ion sputtering of a metal

A theory of ion sputtering of a metal in the form of neutral and singly charged clusters with a number of atoms of N ⩾ 5 has been developed. This theory is based on simple physical assumptions and agrees well with experiment. The results are presented in the form of expressions convenient for practical use. The energy spectra of clusters, charge distributions, ionization coefficients, and total yields of neutral and singly charged clusters at different target temperatures are calculated in terms of the proposed theory as an example.     

Emission of charged and stable clusters during the ion sputtering of metal

A theory of the ion sputtering of metal in the form of excited neutral and charged clusters with their subsequent fragmentation to the stable state is developed. This theory is based on simple physical assumptions and agrees well with experiments. The results are presented in the form of practical formulas. The overall yields of stable neutral and charged clusters of silver, indium, and niobium are calculated as an example.     

Emission of charged clusters during metal sputtering by ions

A method for simulating processes of metal sputtering by ion bombardment in the form of large neutral and charged clusters with a number of atoms N≥5 based on simple physical assumptions and in fair agreement with experiment is suggested. As an example, the ionization degrees and ionization coefficients, as well as the relative cluster yields, are calculated as a function of the number of atoms in clusters of different metals (Ag, Nb, and Ta) bombarded by singly charged Ar⁺¹ and Au⁻¹ ions. A fluctuation mechanism of charge state formation for large clusters, which describes the dependence of the charge state distributions on cluster size and target temperature, is developed.     

Energy spectra and temperature distributions of clusters produced during ion-beam sputtering of metals

A method for evaluating the energy spectra and temperature dependences of the yield of neutral and charged clusters that consist of N≥5 atoms and are produced by ion bombardment of metals is proposed. The results are presented in the form of simple formulas. Theoretical energy spectra of clusters emitted as a result of bombarding niobium, tantalum, and iron targets by atomic ions of gold or xenon and temperature dependences of the yield of silver clusters produced by bombarding the targets with xenon ions are compared with experimental data.

     

Kinetic Spectra of Polyatomic Clusters Formed via the Ion Sputtering of Metals

A theory is developed for the ion sputtering of metals resulting in the formation of excited neutral and charged clusters with their subsequent fragmentation to a stable state. The effect fragmentation has on the kinetic spectra and charge state of clusters is considered. The results are presented in the form of convenient formulas. Calculations for the kinetic spectra of polyatomic clusters of niobium and silver are given as examples.     

On the Theory of Neutral and Charged Cluster Ion Sputtering of Metal

A calculation method for large neutral and/or charged cluster (with number of atoms N > 5) elastic sputtering of a metal during ion bombardment is proposed. The result is presented as a simple assymptotic formula for the probability of cluster ejection and cluster charge state. A conclusion is made on the exponential nature of the dependence of the total cluster yield on the number of atoms the cluster consists of.     

Structure and stability of small zinc oxide clusters

The structure and stability of small neutral and positively charged zinc oxide (ZnO) _n clusters (n = 2−9) have been studied within the density functional theory. For n ≤ 7, the most stable clusters are shown to be flat rings; for n = 8, 9, the clusters are mainly three-dimensional cage structures. The energies and main channels of fragmentation of the clusters have been determined. It has been found that the fragmentation of the charged clusters with n > 6 occurs predominantly with formation of a (ZnO)₄⁺ ion, which explains the available mass spectrometric data on ionization of the zinc oxide clusters by electron impact.     

Stability and fragmentation processes of highly charged sodium clusters

Highly charged sodium clusters produced in collisions between neutral clusters and multiply charged ions are formed within a large range of temperatures and fissilities, and identified by means of a high-resolution reflectron-type time-of-flight mass spectrometer ( m/m 14000). The limit of stability of these charged clusters is experimentally investigated, and the time-of-flight spectra are compared with theoretical spectra based on Monte-Carlo simulations. The results indicate that the maximum fissility (X) of stable clusters is approaching the Rayleigh limit (X = 1) for larger clusters sizes. It is mainly limited by the initial neutral cluster temperature ( T 100 K) and the energy transfer in the ionizing collision. In addition, the comparison between the measured and simulated spectra suggests for high cluster charges a multi-fragmentation process, in which most of charge is emitted, creating low charged residual cluster ions.     

Cluster generation by laser ablation

We produced niobium clusters over a wide size range (Nb_n: 1≤n≤1000) by a laser ablation method in a low-pressure condensation source. Mass spectra of the neutral clusters, positive and negative ion clusters were measured by a time-of-flight mass spectrometer with a high mass resolution and a wide mass range. Similarity and difference in their mass spectra were examined to understand the cluster generation process in different charged states.     

Energy of Clusters Emitted During Ion Sputtering of a Metal

A procedure for calculating the energy spectra of clusters with numbers of atoms N 5 during ion sputtering of a metal is suggested. The results are presented in the form of simple formulas. The energy distributions of clusters in the bombardment of niobium and iron by atomic gold and xenon ions, calculated in the present work, are compared with the available experimental data.     

高电荷态离子与Si(110)晶面碰撞的沟道效应研究

不同电荷态低速离子(Ar^q+,Pb^q+)轰击Si(110)晶面,测量不同入射角情况下的次级粒子的产额. 通过比较溅射产额与入射角的关系,证实沟道效应的存在. 高电荷态离子与Si相互作用产生的沟道效应说明溅射产额主要是由动能碰撞引起的. 在小角入射条件下,高电荷态离子能够增大溅射产额. 当高电荷态离子以40°—50°入射时,存在势能越高溅射产额越大的势能效应. 关键词： 高电荷态离子 溅射 沟道效应     

Specific features of the luminescence of silicate glasses with silver introduced by ion exchange

The luminescence spectra of silicate glasses with silver introduced by ion exchange have been investigated. It is shown that silver introduced into glass by ion exchange exists not only in the form of ions, but also as neutral atoms and charged and neutral molecular clusters, which provide intense luminescence in the visible spectral range. Cerium ions in glass facilitate the formation of neutral molecular silver clusters, due to which the luminescence intensity increases. It is shown that Ag _n -Ce ^x+ complexes can be formed in glass containing cerium ions and neutral molecular silver clusters.     

Ion-induced sputtering of a metal in the form of large clusters

A model is proposed for the ion-induced sputtering of a metal in the form of large clusters with a number of atoms N⩾5. The model is based on simple physical assumptions and is consistent with experiment. As an example, calculations are made of the relative cluster yield as a function of the number of atoms in the cluster as a result of the bombardment of various metals by singly charged 5 keV argon ions. A comparison is made with experimental data. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 64–68 (March 1999)     

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Imaging

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is a chemical analysis technique that employs mass spectrometry to analyze solid and low volatility liquid samples [1]. Although there are numerous configurations of SIMS instrumentation, the fundamental basis of SIMS analyses is the measurement of the mass and intensity of secondary ions produced in a vacuum by sputtering the surface of the sample with energetic ion or neutral beams. The sputtering beam is referred to as the primary beam and typically has a kinetic energy of several thousand electronvolts (keV). The primary beam removes atomic or molecular layers at a rate determined principally by the intensity, mass, and energy of the primary species and the chemical and physical characteristics of the sample [2]. Particle sputtering at the kiloelectronvolt level produces a variety of products including electrons, photons, atoms, atomic clusters, intact molecules, and distinctive molecular fragments. A small fraction of these sputter products are ionized, and these ions are the secondary ions in secondary ion mass spectrometry.     

Experiments on clusters

In this contribution we discuss four different types of experiments that have been conducted at molecular beams of neutral clusters. The size of particularly stable sodium chloride clusters and their corresponding geometrical structure is inferred from intensity anomalies in mass spectra. This information is obtained either for charged or for neutral clusters depending on whether the clusters are ionized by electron impact or by multiphoton absorption. The important role of fragmentation in mass spectrometry of xenon clusters is revealed by multiphoton ionization; dissociative reactions occurring on the time scale of 10⁻⁷ s with respect to the ionizing event can be analyzed. The solvation energy of negatively charged carbon dioxide clusters as a function of cluster size is obtained from electron attachment spectra. A resonance in the ion yield close to zero eV electron energy signifies that all clusters except for the monomer feature a positive electron affinity. An analysis of the kinetic energy of fragment ions, originating from delayed dissociation of triply charged carbon dioxide clusters, reveals that the size distribution of their fission fragments is extremely symmetric.     

Rayleigh instabilities in multiply charged sodium clusters

The stability of multiply charged sodium clusters Na(q+)(n) (q< or =10) produced in collisions between neutral clusters and multiply charged ions A(z+) ( z = 1 to 28) is experimentally investigated. Multiply charged clusters are formed within a large range of temperatures and fissilities. They are identified by means of a high-resolution reflectron-type time-of-flight mass spectrometer (m/deltam approximately 14 000). The maximum fissility of stable clusters is obtained for z = 28 and is X approximately 0.85+/-0.07, slightly below the Rayleigh limit (X = 1). It is mainly limited by the initial cluster temperature (T approximately 100 K).     

The emission of neutral clusters in sputtering

The mass, angle, and energy resolved emission of neutral clusters in sputtering was studied for a variety of metals and semiconductors. The main phenomena and results are the following: (i) Cluster emission from a series of transition metals reveals a prominent contribution of clusters to the total flux of ejected particles but there is no simple scaling of cluster intensities with the average sputtering yields. With increasing number of constituents, relative intensities of neutral clusters decrease much faster than those of secondary-ion clusters. (ii) The relative intensities of clusters emitted from amorphous and crystalline semiconductors are identical, but the energy spectra of Ge _n -clusters (n = 1–4) sputtered from Ge (111) peak at a slightly higher energy (1 eV) as compared to spectra taken from amorphous Ge. The intensities of all Ge _n -clusters exhibit the same dependence on emission angle; this holds for both the amorphous and crystalline Ge-sample. (iii) The flux of neutral monomers, dimers, and trimers sputtered from Cu(111), Ni(111), and Ag(111) crystals shows a pronouncedly anisotropic emission along the 110 lattice directions which is ascribed to a momentum alignment in the anisotropic part of the collision cascade. Energy spectra taken along 110 peak at higher energies than those obtained from a random emission angle.     

密度泛函理论研究Hg与Auqn(n=1—6, q=0,+1,-1) 团簇的相互作用

采用密度泛函理论中的广义梯度近似对Hg与小团簇Au ^q_n (n=1—6, q=0, +1, -1)的相互作用进行了系统研究. 结果表明,除Au₅^+,-团簇外,前线分子轨道理论可以成功预测大部分Au _n Hg ^q 复合物的最低能量结构. Au_n团簇对Hg的吸附受团簇尺寸大小和团簇所携带电荷的影 关键词： 密度泛函理论 汞 金团簇 吸附能     

Charging of aerosol particles in the near free-molecule regime

The charging of small neutral and charged particles suspended in weakly ionized plasma is investigated under the assumption that the Coulomb + image forces give rise to the ion transport in the carrier plasma and define the rate of charging processes. Our approach is based on a BGK version of the kinetic equation [1,2] describing the ion transport in the presence of force fields created by the particle charge and the image force. A special type of the perturbation theory (with respect to the reciprocal Knudsen number) is used for calculating the rate of ion deposition onto neutral and charged particles. As the starting approximation, the free-molecule ion distribution with a floating ion flux is used for evaluating the collision term in the Boltzmann equation. The value of the ion flux as a function of the particle size is then fixed self-consistently from the solution of the Boltzmann equation with the approximated collision term. The expression for the ion flux J(a) to the spherical particle of radius a is derived in the form , where J_fm is the free-molecule flux (no carrier plasma) and is a correction factor taking into account the ion-molecular collisions. The latter is shown to never exceed unity and to depend weakly on the particle-ion interaction.Received: 29 December 2003, Published online: 15 April 2004PACS: 36.40.Wa Charged clusters - 82.30.Fi Ion-molecule, ion-ion, and charge-transfer reactions - 92.60.Mt Particles and aerosols     

Structure of Mg<Subscript>n</Subscript> and Mg<Stack><Subscript>n</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript></Stack> clusters up to n = 30

We present structure calculations of neutral and singly ionized Mg clusters of up to 30 atoms, as well as Na clusters of up to 10 atoms. The calculations have been performed using density functional theory (DFT) within the local (spin-)density approximation, ion cores are described by pseudopotentials. We have utilized a new algorithm for solving the Kohn-Sham equations that is formulated entirely in coordinate space and, thus, permits straightforward control of the spatial resolution. Our numerical method is particularly suitable for modern parallel computer architectures; we have thus been able to combine an unrestricted simulated annealing procedure with electronic structure calculations of high spatial resolution, corresponding to a plane-wave cutoff of 954 eV for Mg. We report the geometric structures of the resulting ground-state configurations and a few low-lying isomers. The energetics and HOMO-LUMO gaps of the ground-state configurations are carefully examined and related to their stability properties. No evidence for a non-metal to metal transition in neutral and positively charged Mg clusters is found in the regime of ion numbers examined here.