Ranges of implanted atoms under polyatomic cluster bombardment of the Cu (111) surface

A computer simulation of the bombardment of the Cu (111) surface with Cu_N and Au_N polyatomic clusters differing in size (N = 1, 6, and 13) with energies of 0.5 and 5 keV/atom has been performed in the framework of classical molecular dynamics. The spatial distribution of the implanted atoms, their ranges, and range fluctuations (straggling) depending on the size N and energy E/N of the incident cluster has been investigated. It has been shown that an increase in the mean range and range straggling is observed at a fixed energy per incident atom as the cluster size N increases. At the same time, the effect of an increase in the range (at a specified value of E/N) gradually disappears with increasing cluster energy, whereas the effect of an increase in straggling is retained. These tendencies qualitatively agree with the available experimental observations. It has been shown that the dominating contribution to the increase in the atom range of the implanted cluster is made by the so-called clearing-the-way effect, which is weakened with increasing the incident cluster energy. The effect of the range straggling increasing is significantly due to the presence of nonlinear “spike” effects at the bombarded target.