Atomic scale surface damage by ion bombardment at grazing incidence

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By grazing incidence ion scattering from metal surfaces a wealth of information and a deep understanding of many aspects of the ion-surface interaction has been obtained through the analysis and spectroscopy of the scattered particles. Despite of this, virtually nothing is known about the damage left behind on the surface as a consequence of the collision. In view of the actual and potential applications of grazing incidence ion beams in surface analysis (processes and properties), pattern formation, manipulation of thin film growth and surface smoothening it would be desirable to obtain an elementary understanding of the damage mechanisms under this specific scattering geometry. It is thus the goal of the proposed research project to undertake a joint theoretical and experimental effort combining molecular dynamics simulations and low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy to achieve a detailed understanding of the damage mechanism of grazing incidence ions on metal surfaces. Of specific interest is the damage caused by surface defects (steps, clusters, adatoms, adsorbates) as well as its variation with the projectile properties and the scattering geometry.