Mass and energy distribution of particles sputter etched from Si in a XeF2 environment

Abstract

The sputtering of Si by 3‐keV Ar⁺ ions under simultaneous exposure to a beam of XeF₂ gas has been investigated. The masses and some energy distributions of the neutral particles emitted from the target have been determined by mass spectrometry and time of flight. We found the following Si‐containing ions: Si⁺, SiF⁺, SiF⁺₂, and SiF⁺₃. The energy distributions of the sputtered particles cannot be explained by thermal desorption at the target temperature but can be interpreted as a collision cascadelike mechanism with a low surface binding energy.