The role of sample rotation and oblique ion incidence on quantum-dot formation by ion sputtering

Starting from a theory recently proposed by Kahng et al. that explains the formation of ordered dots by ion sputtering under normal ion incidence, it was demonstrated that extending this theory to ion sputtering under oblique ion incidence with simultaneous sample rotation offers the self-organized formation of dots by ion sputtering for a large variety of different ion/material combinations. While for sputtering under normal incidence the shape of the collision cascade must be anisotropic, where the lateral straggling exceeds the longitudinal straggling, this constraint is not necessary under oblique incidence.