Surface topography development on Teflon under keV Xe atom bombardment

Abstract

Topography development on the surface of Teflon■ (polytetrafluoroethylene) subjected to different doses of 6 keV xenon atoms were studied. It is shown that the surface-impurity model can only describe some unusual topographical features and is not adequate to explain in whole our current observations. A new model based on microcrack development, surface splitting, filament formation, and subsequent filament-to-cone transformation is discussed and some experimental evidence for its validity is presented.