Indium phosphide whiskers grown by ion bombardment

Abstract Ar + -ion bombardment of monocrystalline InP at 3 keV is shown to grow InP whiskers at 100°C or so. The whiskers are usually topped with a hemispherical In crystal, lengthening along the trajectories of incoming ions. The orientation of the whiskers is InP [111], independent of the ion-incidence angle, and thus the InP lattice is constructed under the bombardment by energetic ions. These facts indicate that ion bombardment in a few keV regime is not always destructive but sometimes activates the lattice construction process.