INFLUENCE OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE ALTERED LAYER ON THE RIPPLE FORMATION

The ripple formation on Si under oxygen bombardment is studied in detail. The influences of temperature, oxygen flooding, primary ion, and the flux of the primary beam are explored and the results are compared with the existing models. As none of the models is capable of explaining all features consistently, a new mechanism is proposed that uses the heterogeneity of the altered layer. The model takes the history of the primary ion incorporation into account and it is implemented into a simulation program. Comparisons between experimental results and simulations using the new model are presented and good overall agreement is found. © 1994, American Vacuum Society. All rights reserved.