Atomic transport in thin film systems under heavy ion bombardment

Besides the controlled doping of semiconductors by means of ion implantation, energetic ion beams offer a much broader range of possibilities to modify the structure and properties of materials, due to the very high local energy density deposited into the solid along the ion path. By reviewing selected experimental examples, the atomic transport processes initiated by energetic heavy ions at the interfaces of thin film systems will be summarized. The nature of the transport mechanisms and the reaction kinetics will be discussed, which strongly depend on the properties of the involved materials (atomic numbers, chemical affinities, electrical conductivity,...) and the irradiation conditions (ion species and energy, temperature,...). Special attention will be drawn to recent studies of the interface mixing due to the electronic energy loss of swift heavy ions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.