Effect of ion irradiation on the evolution of Pt film morphology

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis have been used to characterize ion-irradiated-and-annealed surface structures of Pt thin films deposited on SiO2 glass substrates. The surface morphology of the Pt films is found to be strongly dependent on ion irradiation conditions. A Pt film composed of grains of approximately 1 μm diameter with a smooth surface is successfully prepared by an appropriate combination of ion irradiation and annealing. The Pt film shows a preferential (1 1 1) orientation parallel to the substrate surface.