Sputtering of AIIIBV compound semiconductors under bombardment with atomic and cluster bismuth ions

A III B V semiconductors (GaP, GaAs, GaSb, InP, InAs, InSb) were sputtered with Bi n + ions, n = 1–4, having the same energy per an atom E / n = 10 keV. Topographies of the etched craters bottom were investigated with a scanning electron microscope, and the sputter yields were determined using volume loss method. Nanoislands were found on the etched surface, regularities of their sizes analyzed and discussed. The sputter yields were found to be highly non additive: each atom of a Bi n + cluster sputtered a few times as much as n separate atoms. The yields from atomic ions were compared with the results of binary collision simulations by TRIM and TRIDYN codes, as well as with semi-empirical calculations. Cluster ion sputtering was explored within the framework of the thermal spike model. Applicability of the approaches to heavy ion sputtering is discussed. • Sputter yields for A III B V semiconductors by Bi n + , n = 1–4 experimentally measured. • Sputter yields by atomic ions were higher than predictions suggested. • Cluster ions showed strongly non-additive sputtering. • Model of evaporation from thermal spike correlated with the non-additive sputtering.