Tuning the Morphology of Self‐Assembled Nanopatterns on MgO(001) Surfaces by Sequential Broad‐Beam Ion Irradiation

A two‐step approach based on broad‐beam ion irradiation is demonstrated to produce fine‐tuned self‐assembled surface patterns on MgO(001). The same method and experimental setup are employed to generate an initial pattern in the first irradiation step and then modify its morphology in a second irradiation step. This approach shows an efficient route to modifying the crystalline MgO(001) surface topography in a controlled way, making use of its very specific behavior in terms of both the pattern morphology and patterning dynamics.