Nanopatterning of ZnS thin film surfaces by keV ion beam irradiation

► The ripples have been formed at very low fluence of 1016 ion/cm2. ► The initial surface roughness of the films plays a major role in formation ripples at low fluence. ► The formation of ripple results in the alignment of pre-existing dots without significant change in their size. ► This is the first report on the formation of ripple structures on ZnS thin film surface.