Sputtering yields of Au by low-energy noble gas ion bombardment

Abstract

Sputtering yields of gold (Au) by noble gas (He, Ne, Ar, Kr or Xe) ions have been measured in the low injection energy range 25–200 eV. The yield data presented here were obtained from mass-selected ion beam sputtering experiments, in which the ion beam has a very narrow energy spread and contains no impurity ions. The newly obtained yield data set, together with the fitting functions for the yield dependence on the injection energy, provide an accurate and reliable database for the study of fundamental physical mechanisms of sputtering phenomena at low energies, where experimental data had been scarce.