Quantitative evaluation of charge-reduction effect in cluster constituent ions passing through a foil

Swift cluster ions, which cause characteristic irradiation effects on a solid surface, have a possibility of establishing a new ion irradiation technique for high-sensitivity surface analysis and innovative surface modification. However, the mechanism of cluster irradiation effects has not been understood completely. We have focused on the charge reduction effect in some physical phenomena and performed a quantitative evaluation of the relationship between the charge state and the interatomic distance of the constituent ions moving in the solid. This technique is based on the refined analysis of the divergence angle of the constituent ions resulting from the foil-induced dissociation of the two-atomic molecular ion. The results derived from this analytical approach clearly showed the correlation between the average charge and the interatomic distance of the constituent ions and implied that the average charge of the constituent ions emerging from the foil varies according to the interatomic distance at the instant of cluster dissociation.