Self-organized patterning on Si(001) by ion sputtering with simultaneous metal incorporation

This report focuses on the effect of simultaneous Fe incorporation in the self-organized pattern formation on Si(001) by low-energy ion-beam sputtering. Experimental observations giving evidence for the correlation between different ion-beam parameters, Fe concentration on the substrate, and the resulting topography are shown. It was observed that the incorporation of Fe affects the evolution of the topography and it is a requisite for the formation of ripples at near-normal incidence. It is shown also that Fe is not homogeneously distributed on the surface, but there is a higher concentration at the crests of the ripples than at the valleys. For the experimental setup used for this study, the Fe flux that reaches the surface is determined mainly by the acceleration voltage (U acc), while the ion energy (E ion) and ion-beam incidence angle (α) control the concentration of Fe in the steady state. The adjustment of these operational parameters of the ion source enables the fine-tuning of surface patterns.