The evolution of surface defects created by low energy ion bombardment
on InSb(110) is studied by He beam scattering experiments. At surface
temperatures above 500 K the ion erosion is found to proceed layer-by
-layer without changing the stoichiometric composition of the surface.
This indicates that the nucleation of surface islands driven by vacan
cy diffusion is faster than the ion erosion. After different doses of
Ar+ ion bombardment, the surface is left in a non-equilibrium state wh
ose time evolution is monitored by measuring the profiles of the He di
ffraction peaks. It is seen that the coalescence of islands proceeds w
ith anisotropic island size distributions.