The formation of developed morphology on the indium phosphide surface by ion argon beam sputtering

Self-organizing structures on the InP surface that are formed by ion-beam sputtering in the energy range 0.1–15 keV are investigated. It is shown that the processing of the InP surface by monochromatic argon beams can give rise to the formation of two, “grass” and “cone-in-pit,” morphologies. The formation of the relief is treated in terms of a qualitative model including the processes of sputtering, cascade mixing, and surface transport. The model adequately predicts the fluence dependence of the density and size of morphological features. In addition, it enables one to clarify conditions under which the morphologies form, as well as to explain the effect of target temperature on the demarcation line between the morphologies. It is demonstrated that the morphology may become anisotropic in the case of mask etching. In particular, the application of regularly spaced strips as masks makes it possible to produce a texture-like surface structure.