Open AccessEvolution of nanoripples on silicon by gas cluster-ion irradiation
Author(s) -
Omar Lozano,
Q. Y. Chen,
Buddhi Tilakaratne,
Hye-Won Seo,
X. M. Wang,
P. V. Wadekar,
Priya V. Chinta,
Li Tu,
New-Jin Ho,
Dharshana Wijesundera,
W. K. Chu
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
aip advances
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 58
ISSN - 2158-3226
DOI - 10.1063/1.4811171
Subject(s) - ripple , wafer , cluster (spacecraft) , irradiation , materials science , lithography , silicon , ion , optics , surface finish , wavelength , nanostructure , surface roughness , molecular physics , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , chemistry , physics , composite material , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , voltage , computer science , nuclear physics , programming language
Si wafers of (100), (110) and (111) orientations were bombarded by gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) of 3000 Ar-atoms/cluster on average at a series of angles. Similar surface morphology ripples developed in different nanoscales. A simple scaling functional satisfactorily describe the roughness and wavelength of the ripple patterns as a function of dosage and angle of incidence. The ripples are formed orthogonal to the incident cluster-ions at large off-normal angles. An ellipsoidal pattern was created by two consecutive irradiations incident in mutually orthogonal directions with unequal exposure times between each irradiation, from 7:1 to 10:1, beyond which the original ripple imprints would be over-written. This work was inspired by use of the ripples to seed growth of controlled nanostructures without patterning by lithography or predeposition of catalysts