Sputtering and Compositional Changes

Abstract

Sputtering of atoms from a solid surface as a consequence of the impact of energetic particles was first observed more than a century ago (Grove, 1853). However, most of the present experimental knowledge and theoretical understanding of the sputtering phenomenon has been gained during the past 30 years. Extensive, recent reviews of many aspects of the sputtering phenomenon can be found in volumes edited by Varga et al. (1980), by Cobic (1980), and by Behrisch (1981, 1982). That the composition of an alloy near the surface can be affected by sputtering was shown experimentally more than twenty years ago by Gillam (1959). An increasing interest in sputtering of multicomponent materials has developed during the past decade, and much of the experimental work and understanding in this area has been reviewed recently by Andersen (1981).