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.