Sputtering of silicon and its compounds in the electronic stopping region

Abstract

We have sputtered silicon, silicon dioxide, and silicon nitride with chlorine ions at 5 MeV and 20 MeV. While the yield from the silicon target was immeasurably low, the insulating compounds exhibited the enhanced yields observed in other insulating targets. The yield follows the electronic stopping power and seems to be independent of the target's thermal properties. Some of the data suggest that the enhanced sputtering mechanism may be active in extremely thin films (≥3 monolayers).

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