Title: Morphology of PbTe crystal surface sputtered by argon plasma under Secondary Neutral Mass Spectrometry conditions,
Abstract: We have investigated morphology of the lateral surfaces of PbTe crystal
samples grown from melt by the Bridgman method sputtered by Ar+ plasma with ion
energy of 50-550 eV for 5-50 minutes under Secondary Neutral Mass Spectrometry
(SNMS) conditions. The sputtered PbTe crystal surface was found to be
simultaneously both the source of sputtered material and the efficient
substrate for re-deposition of the sputtered material during the depth
profiling. During sputtering PbTe crystal surface is forming the dimple relief.
To be redeposited the sputtered Pb and Te form arrays of the microscopic
surface structures in the shapes of hillocks, pyramids, cones and others on the
PbTe crystal sputtered surface. Correlation between the density of re-deposited
microscopic surface structures, their shape, and average size, on the one hand,
and the energy and duration of sputtering, on the other, is revealed.