A new formula for sputtering yield as function of ion energies at normal incidence

The statistical ellipsoidal construction has been reconstructed into the statistical conicoidal construction, to describe the sputtering yield, at normal incidence, for various ion energies. The most important advantage of the new volume is the developing of a simple-single equation to describe the sputtering–energy relationship. Its parameters have been pictorially predicted from the conicoidal representation. A correction term [1–(Eth/Ei)1/Ω] was added to the present new equation to describe the threshold energy (Eth) of sputtering. The developed equation could be applied to all available ion/target combinations, over a broadened range of energy for low and heavy ion-masses. The new equation has been differentiated with respect to energy giving rise to a relation between the threshold energy and maximum energy, at which the maximum sputtering yield occurs. It was found that, the obtained theoretical sputtering data for low and heavy ions satisfactorily approaches the available experimental data and works well at the threshold regime. It should be mentioned that the conicoidal model is not only of interest for analytical glow discharge method but also for ion beam method for the sputtering process, where low and high sputtering values could occur.