Thin-film deposition using low-energy ion beams (3) Mg+ ion-beam deposition and analysis of deposits

Abstract

The energy dependence of the growth characteristics of Mg thin film s on C substrates deposited by retarding a 4-keV mass-analyzed ion beam of Mg+ ions to a range of energies between 24 and 500 eV has been studied by Rutherford backscattering analysis and scanning electron microscopy. An incident Mg+ beam energy of about 100 eV produced the optimum film−in the shortest time when the space-charge spreading of the beam at low energies is compared with self-sputering of the deposit at the higher energies. This is though to be due to deeper penetration of the Mg+ ions into the C substrates above 100 eV.