Nano-scale effects of swift heavy ion irradiation in SiOx layers and multilayers

Irradiation of SiOx layers and multilayers (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 2) with swift heavy ions gives rise to a rich variety of phenomena. These phenomena imply displacement of atoms inside the layer structure, removal of species from the material by electronic sputtering or molecule formation, the extent of which depends strongly on the x-value and irradiation parameters. Other phenomena are phase separation inside the material and modifications on the nano-scale at Si/SiOx interfaces. The paper briefly reviews these phenomena and presents new data concerning nano-scale modifications in the multilayers.