• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.55-63
• /
• 2003

A 150 kV gas cluster ion accelerator was constructed and the cluster sizes of $CO_2$ and $N_2O$ gases were measured using time-of-flight mast spectrometry. Through isolated cluster ion impact on a HOPG, hillock with 1 nm height and a few tenth m in diameter were found to be formed by an atomic force microscope. When monomer ion beams were irradiated on the hillocks existed on a ITO surface, they became sharper and the surface became rougher. But they changed into round-shaped ones by cluster ion irradiation and the surface became smooth after the irradiation of $5\times10^{-14}\textrm{cm}^2$ at 25 kV. As the cluster ion dose was varied, the change of surface morphology and roughness of Si was examined. At the lower dose, the density of hillocks and surface roughness were increased, called surface embossment process. And then after the critical dose at which the area of the formed hillocks equals to the unirradiated area, the sputtering from the hillocks was predominantly evolved, and dislocated atoms were diffused and filled among the valleys, called surface sputtering and smoothing process. At the higher ion dose, the surface consisting of loosely bounded atoms was effectively sputtered into the depth and etching phenomenon was happened, called surface etching process.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2002.07a
• /
• pp.232-235
• /
• 2002

An 150 kV gas cluster ion accelerator was fabricated and assessed. The change of surface morphology and surface roughness were examined by an atom force microscope (AFM) after irradiation of $CO_2$ gas clusters on Si (100) surfaces at the acceleration voltages of 50 kV. The density of hillocks induced by cluster ion impact was gradually increased with the dosage up to 5$\times$10$^{11}$ ions/$\textrm{cm}^2$. At the boundary of the ion dosage of 10$^{12}$ ions/$\textrm{cm}^2$, the density of the induced hillocks was decreased and RMS (root mean square) surface roughness was not deteriorated further. At the dosage of 5x10$^{13}$ ions/$\textrm{cm}^2$, the induced hillocks completely disappeared and the surface became very flat. In addition, the irradiated region was sputtered. $CO_2$ cluster ions are irradiated at the acceleration voltage of 25 kV to remove hillocks on indium tin oxide (ITO) surface and thus to attain highly smooth surfaces. $CO_2$ monomer ions are also bombarded on the ITO surface at the same acceleration voltage to compare sputtering phenomena. From the AFM results, the irradiation of monomer ions make the hillocks sharper and the surfaces rougher On the other hand, the irradiation of $CO_2$ cluster ions reduces the hight of hillocks and planarize the ITO surfaces. From the experiment of isolated cluster ion impact on the Si surfaces, the induced hillocks m high had the surfaces embossed at the lower ion dosages. The surface roughness was slightly increased with the hillock density and the ion dosage. At higher than a critical ion dosage, the induced hillocks were sputtered and the sputtered particles migrated in order to fill valleys among the hillocks. After prolonged irradiation of cluster ions, the irradiated region was very flat and etched.