Incident-mass dependence of temperature-enhanced ion-induced sputtering in liquid metals

The sputtering yield of liquid tin due to heavy-ion bombardment has been found to have significantly reduced dependence on the sample temperature than that of light-ion bombardment. These results, combined with previous light-ion data, show that the mechanisms that increase the sputtering yield of materials under ion irradiation are diminished or surpassed by the effects of heavy-ion bombardment. Beams of 700 eV Ne⁺ and 500-1000 eV Ar⁺ ions irradiated high-purity tin at temperatures from 20-340°C at oblique incidence; a pair of quartz-crystal microbalances performed real-time measurement of the mass ejected from the surface. Monte Carlo atomistic simulations were also performed for comparison and to help interpret the experimental results. We discuss the results of this series of experiments and the lack of a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms behind temperature-dependent sputtering in light of these results.