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Nanostructuring of molybdenum and tungsten surfaces by low-energy helium ions

Author
Abstract

The formation of metallic nanostructures by exposure of molybdenum and tungsten surfaces to high fluxes of low energy helium ions is studied as a function of the ion energy, plasma exposure time, and surface temperature. Helium plasma exposure leads to the formation of nanoscopic filaments on the surface of both metals. The size of the helium-induced nanostructure increases with increasing surface temperature while the thickness of the modified layer increases with time. In addition, the growth rate of the nanostructured layer also depends on the surface temperature. The size of the nanostructure appears linked with the size of the near-surface voids induced by the low energy ions. The results presented here thus demonstrate that surface processing by low-energy helium ions provides an efficient route for the formation of porous metallic nanostructures. (C) 2012 American Vacuum Society.

Year of Publication
2012
Journal
Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A
Volume
30
Number
4
Number of Pages
041306
Date Published
Jul
Type of Article
Article
ISBN Number
0734-2101
DOI
10.1116/1.4731196
PId
b374bafe384141c27f7d25ba6fa74a18
Alternate Journal
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A
Label
OA
Attachment
Journal Article
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