Mechanisms of pattern formation in grazing-incidence ion bombardment of Pt(111)

Ripple patterns forming on Pt(111) due to 5 keV Ar{sup +} grazing-incidence ion bombardment were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy in a broad temperature range from 100 to 720 K and for ion fluences up to 3x10{sup 20} ions/m{sup 2}. A detailed morphological analysis together with molecular dynamics simulations of single ion impacts allow us to develop atomic scale models for the formation of these patterns. The large difference in step edge versus terrace damage is shown to be crucial for ripple formation under grazing incidence. The importance of distinct diffusion processes--step adatom generation at kinks and adatom lattice gas formation--for temperature dependent transitions in the surface morphology is highlighted. Surprisingly, ion bombardment effects like thermal spike induced adatom production and planar subsurface channeling are important for pattern ordering.