Sputtering yields of magnesium hydroxide [Mg(OH)₂] by noble-gas ion bombardment

Abstract

Abstract Magnesium oxide (MgO) is widely used for barrier coating of plasma display panel (PDP) cells and its resistance against ion sputtering is a critical issue for the prolongation of lifetime of PDPs. The top surface of an MgO barrier coat may be hydrated to form a thin layer of magnesium hydroxide [Mg(OH) 2 ] due to moisture inadvertently contained in the gas of the PDP cell. In this study, sputtering yields of Mg(OH) 2 by low-energy noble-gas ion bombardment have been evaluated experimentally with the use of a mass-selected ion beam system and compared with those of MgO. It has been found that the etched depths of Mg(OH) 2 and MgO are nearly equal when they are subject to the same noble-gas ion bombardment conditions.