Stages of surface erosion under ion irradiation

Initial stages of surface erosion have been studied for NaCl and LiF single crystals bombarded by Ar+ ions with 20 keV. For irradiation with doses D=1010-1011 ions/cm2, exoelectron emission has been used, whereas for higher doses, we have used electron microscopy. Two stages of initial surface erosion have been identified; for small doses, there is slow development of atomic-scale roughening, which reaches its peak when areas damaged by closest incident ions start to overlap, and then, beginning with D=1016 ions/cm2, there is rapid etching, deep into the crystal, followed by the emergence of secondary microscopic structure, i.e. caverns, concentric closed steps and terraces. Ion-induced surface structure of alkali halide crystals has been shown to depend strongly on the presence of foreign particles on the surface, as well as on segregation. Topography of thin carbon films and some metals have been discussed.