Molecular dynamics study of crater formation by core-shell structured cluster impact

Crater formation processes by the impacts of large clusters with binary atomic species were studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Argon and xenon atoms are artificially organized in core-shell cluster structures with various component ratios and irradiated on a Si(1 0 0) target surface. When the cluster has Xe1000 core covered with 1000 Ar atoms, and impacts at a total of 20 keV, the core Xe cluster penetrates into the deep area, and a crater with a conical shape is left on the target. On the other hand, in the case of a cluster with the opposite structure, Ar1000 core covered with 1000 Xe atoms, the cluster stops at a shallow area of the target. The incident cluster atoms are mixed and tend to spread in a lateral direction, which results in a square shaped crater with a shallower hole and wider opening. The MD simulations suggest that large cluster impacts cause different irradiation effects by changing the structure, even if the component ratio is the same.