Absolute measurement of sputtered ion fractions using matrix isolation spectroscopy

Sputtering yields for neutrals and ions have been measured by collecting the sputtered species in a noble gas matrix and determining their amounts from optical absorption spectroscopy. The atomic ion fractions for Ti and Zr bombarded by O₂⁺ at 2 keV are 0.8 and 0.4, respectively, whereas TiO and ZrO are sputtered largely as neutrals. Neutral sputtering yields from Ar⁺ bombardment arc consistent with previous measurements. The experimental results are compared with various theoretical models for the sputtering process.