The angular distribution of gold selfsputtered under thermal-spike conditions

The angular distribution of gold self-sputtered at room temperature by 10-3 0 keV/atom Au-, Au-2(-) and Au-3(-) has been measured. The targets were opt ically mirror-like films evaporated on glass substrates. For substrates coo led to nitrogen temperature (77 K) during evaporation the targets were near ly texture-free, while holding the substrates at room temperature (or sligh tly above) resulted in heavily [1 1 1] textured target films. Angular distr ibutions were determined through collection of the sputtered material on he micylindrical aluminium films followed by RES quantification of the collect ed material. The sputtered distributions from cluster bombardment of non-te xtured targets were found to be substantially more isotropic than the distr ibutions stemming from atomic bombardment. This rules out the non-linear, p resumably spike-produced, component to be caused by an outward directed jet of material. Distributions sputtered from a heavily textured sample show t he amount of material preferentially emitted in the [1 1 0] directions to b e linear in the number of atoms in the cluster, hence showing that the line ar and non-linear yield components are additive. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.