Cratering Induced by Slow Highly Charged Ions on Ultrathin PMMA Films
Highly charged ions are a well-known tool for the nanostructuring of surfaces. We report on the thickness dependence of nanostructures produced by single 260 keV Xe<sup>38+</sup> ions on ultrathin poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films (1 nm to 60 nm) deposited onto Si substrates. The na...
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-2004/10/4/96 |
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| author | Raquel S. Thomaz Philipp Ernst Pedro L. Grande Marika Schleberger Ricardo M. Papaléo |
| author_facet | Raquel S. Thomaz Philipp Ernst Pedro L. Grande Marika Schleberger Ricardo M. Papaléo |
| author_sort | Raquel S. Thomaz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Highly charged ions are a well-known tool for the nanostructuring of surfaces. We report on the thickness dependence of nanostructures produced by single 260 keV Xe<sup>38+</sup> ions on ultrathin poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films (1 nm to 60 nm) deposited onto Si substrates. The nanostructures induced by slow highly charged ions are rimless craters with a diameter of around 15 nm, which are roughly independent of the thickness of the films down to layers of about 2 nm. The crater depth and thus the overall crater volume are, however, thickness-dependent, decreasing in size in films thinner than ~25 nm. Our findings indicate that although the potential energy of the highly charged ions is the predominant source of deposited energy, the depth of the excited material contributing to crater formation is much larger than the neutralization depth of the ions, which occurs in the first nanometer of the solid at the projectile velocity employed here. This suggests synergism between kinetic and potential-driven processes in nanostructure formation in PMMA. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:20:38Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-2004 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:20:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj.art-f0900609671e4485b85ef5a22ee9fed72023-11-24T13:13:32ZengMDPI AGAtoms2218-20042022-09-011049610.3390/atoms10040096Cratering Induced by Slow Highly Charged Ions on Ultrathin PMMA FilmsRaquel S. Thomaz0Philipp Ernst1Pedro L. Grande2Marika Schleberger3Ricardo M. Papaléo4Interdisciplinary Center of Nanoscience and Micro-Nanotechnology, School of Technology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre CEP 90619-900, RS, BrazilFakultät für Physik and CENIDE, Universität Duisburg-Essen, 47048 Duisburg, GermanyInstitute of Physics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre CEP 90650-970, RS, BrazilFakultät für Physik and CENIDE, Universität Duisburg-Essen, 47048 Duisburg, GermanyInterdisciplinary Center of Nanoscience and Micro-Nanotechnology, School of Technology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre CEP 90619-900, RS, BrazilHighly charged ions are a well-known tool for the nanostructuring of surfaces. We report on the thickness dependence of nanostructures produced by single 260 keV Xe<sup>38+</sup> ions on ultrathin poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films (1 nm to 60 nm) deposited onto Si substrates. The nanostructures induced by slow highly charged ions are rimless craters with a diameter of around 15 nm, which are roughly independent of the thickness of the films down to layers of about 2 nm. The crater depth and thus the overall crater volume are, however, thickness-dependent, decreasing in size in films thinner than ~25 nm. Our findings indicate that although the potential energy of the highly charged ions is the predominant source of deposited energy, the depth of the excited material contributing to crater formation is much larger than the neutralization depth of the ions, which occurs in the first nanometer of the solid at the projectile velocity employed here. This suggests synergism between kinetic and potential-driven processes in nanostructure formation in PMMA.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-2004/10/4/96slow highly charged ionsnanostructuresradiation effectssingle-ion impactspolymer thin filmsPMMA |
| spellingShingle | Raquel S. Thomaz Philipp Ernst Pedro L. Grande Marika Schleberger Ricardo M. Papaléo Cratering Induced by Slow Highly Charged Ions on Ultrathin PMMA Films Atoms slow highly charged ions nanostructures radiation effects single-ion impacts polymer thin films PMMA |
| title | Cratering Induced by Slow Highly Charged Ions on Ultrathin PMMA Films |
| title_full | Cratering Induced by Slow Highly Charged Ions on Ultrathin PMMA Films |
| title_fullStr | Cratering Induced by Slow Highly Charged Ions on Ultrathin PMMA Films |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cratering Induced by Slow Highly Charged Ions on Ultrathin PMMA Films |
| title_short | Cratering Induced by Slow Highly Charged Ions on Ultrathin PMMA Films |
| title_sort | cratering induced by slow highly charged ions on ultrathin pmma films |
| topic | slow highly charged ions nanostructures radiation effects single-ion impacts polymer thin films PMMA |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-2004/10/4/96 |
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