Low energy ion assist during deposition - An effective tool for controlling thin film microstructure

Low-energy ion bombardment during growth of thin films from the vapour phase exerts a strong influence on the properties of the films, particularly their microstructure. The basic mechanisms of film growth under ion irradiation in the ion energy range below 1 keV are described on an atomic level. The dependence of the microstructure, such as grain size and orientation, and density of films on the process parameters ion-to-atom arrival ratio, angle of incidence, average deposited energy, and ion energy is discussed with recent results from the literature with silver as an example for a metal, germanium as a semiconductor and titanium nitride as a ceramic compound film.