Argon (10 keV) scattered from structures,induced by bombarding a Cu(100) surface; ionization and neutralization

The ion fractions, η⁺, of 10 keV argon particles, scattered from a damaged copper surface, are measured with a time of flight spectrometer. The damage was introduced by bombardment with argon ions. The scattering angle was 30°. The results for different angles of incidence, ψ, are reported. For Ψ < 10° the ion fraction is relatively high (～27% for Ψ = 4°) and decreases as Ψ increases. For Ψ = 15° the value of η⁺ is 7%, whereas for 21° < Ψ < 27° the value of η⁺ appears to be constant (～14%). An explanation is given by assuming interatomic ionization as well as neutralization processes along the trajectory of the scattered particles. The number of step-atoms, induced by ion bombardment, is estimated to be about 2 × 10¹⁴/cm².