Computer simulation of the self-sputtering of uranium

Abstract

The sputtering of polycrystalline α-uranium by uranium ions of energies below 10 keV has been studied in the binary collision approximation using the computer simulation program marlowe. Satisfactory agreement of the computed sputtering yields with the small amount of available experimental data was achieved using the Molière interatomic potential, a semilocal inelastic loss function, and a planar surface binding barrier, all with conventional parameters. The model is used to discuss low energy sputtering processes and the energy and angular distributions of the reflected primaries and the sputtered target particles.