Influence of water contamination on the sputtering of silicon with low-energy argon ions investigated by molecular dynamics simulations
Focused ion beams (FIB) are a common tool in nanotechnology for surface analysis, sample preparation for electron microscopy and atom probe tomography, surface patterning, nanolithography, nanomachining, and nanoprinting. For many of these applications, a precise control of ion-beam-induced processe...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Beilstein-Institut
2022-09-01
|
| Series: | Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.13.86 |
| _version_ | 1811205056355106816 |
|---|---|
| author | Grégoire R. N. Defoort-Levkov Alan Bahm Patrick Philipp |
| author_facet | Grégoire R. N. Defoort-Levkov Alan Bahm Patrick Philipp |
| author_sort | Grégoire R. N. Defoort-Levkov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Focused ion beams (FIB) are a common tool in nanotechnology for surface analysis, sample preparation for electron microscopy and atom probe tomography, surface patterning, nanolithography, nanomachining, and nanoprinting. For many of these applications, a precise control of ion-beam-induced processes is essential. The effect of contaminations on these processes has not been thoroughly explored but can often be substantial, especially for ultralow impact energies in the sub-keV range. In this paper we investigate by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations how one of the most commonly found residual contaminations in vacuum chambers (i.e., water adsorbed on a silicon surface) influences sputtering by 100 eV argon ions. The incidence angle was changed from normal incidence to close to grazing incidence. For the simulation conditions used in this work, the adsorption of water favours the formation of defects in silicon by mixing hydrogen and oxygen atoms into the substrate. The sputtering yield of silicon is not significantly changed by the contamination, but the fraction of hydrogen and oxygen atoms that is sputtered largely depends on the incidence angle. This fraction is the largest for incidence angles between 70 and 80° defined with respect to the sample surface. Overall, it changes from 25% to 65%. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T03:24:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-90b9da7486b14b8e8c576b439e130f17 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2190-4286 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T03:24:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Beilstein-Institut |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology |
| spelling | doaj.art-90b9da7486b14b8e8c576b439e130f172022-12-22T03:49:48ZengBeilstein-InstitutBeilstein Journal of Nanotechnology2190-42862022-09-01131986100310.3762/bjnano.13.862190-4286-13-86Influence of water contamination on the sputtering of silicon with low-energy argon ions investigated by molecular dynamics simulationsGrégoire R. N. Defoort-Levkov0Alan Bahm1Patrick Philipp2Advanced Instrumentation for Nano-Analytics (AINA), Materials Research and Technology Department (MRT), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg Thermo Fisher Scientific, Hillsboro, OR, 97124, USAAdvanced Instrumentation for Nano-Analytics (AINA), Materials Research and Technology Department (MRT), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg Focused ion beams (FIB) are a common tool in nanotechnology for surface analysis, sample preparation for electron microscopy and atom probe tomography, surface patterning, nanolithography, nanomachining, and nanoprinting. For many of these applications, a precise control of ion-beam-induced processes is essential. The effect of contaminations on these processes has not been thoroughly explored but can often be substantial, especially for ultralow impact energies in the sub-keV range. In this paper we investigate by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations how one of the most commonly found residual contaminations in vacuum chambers (i.e., water adsorbed on a silicon surface) influences sputtering by 100 eV argon ions. The incidence angle was changed from normal incidence to close to grazing incidence. For the simulation conditions used in this work, the adsorption of water favours the formation of defects in silicon by mixing hydrogen and oxygen atoms into the substrate. The sputtering yield of silicon is not significantly changed by the contamination, but the fraction of hydrogen and oxygen atoms that is sputtered largely depends on the incidence angle. This fraction is the largest for incidence angles between 70 and 80° defined with respect to the sample surface. Overall, it changes from 25% to 65%.https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.13.86angle dependencyargon ionscontaminationfocused ion beamsion bombardmentlow energymolecular dynamicssiliconsimulationswater |
| spellingShingle | Grégoire R. N. Defoort-Levkov Alan Bahm Patrick Philipp Influence of water contamination on the sputtering of silicon with low-energy argon ions investigated by molecular dynamics simulations Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology angle dependency argon ions contamination focused ion beams ion bombardment low energy molecular dynamics silicon simulations water |
| title | Influence of water contamination on the sputtering of silicon with low-energy argon ions investigated by molecular dynamics simulations |
| title_full | Influence of water contamination on the sputtering of silicon with low-energy argon ions investigated by molecular dynamics simulations |
| title_fullStr | Influence of water contamination on the sputtering of silicon with low-energy argon ions investigated by molecular dynamics simulations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of water contamination on the sputtering of silicon with low-energy argon ions investigated by molecular dynamics simulations |
| title_short | Influence of water contamination on the sputtering of silicon with low-energy argon ions investigated by molecular dynamics simulations |
| title_sort | influence of water contamination on the sputtering of silicon with low energy argon ions investigated by molecular dynamics simulations |
| topic | angle dependency argon ions contamination focused ion beams ion bombardment low energy molecular dynamics silicon simulations water |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.13.86 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gregoirerndefoortlevkov influenceofwatercontaminationonthesputteringofsiliconwithlowenergyargonionsinvestigatedbymoleculardynamicssimulations AT alanbahm influenceofwatercontaminationonthesputteringofsiliconwithlowenergyargonionsinvestigatedbymoleculardynamicssimulations AT patrickphilipp influenceofwatercontaminationonthesputteringofsiliconwithlowenergyargonionsinvestigatedbymoleculardynamicssimulations |