Modeling particle redeposition in ion-beam erosion processes under normal incidence

A conceptually simple mesoscopic solid-on-solid type block model for the potential redeposition effect during spatio-temporal evolution of surfaces under normal ion-beam erosion is developed and investigated in considerable detail. This model focuses on redeposition only while neglecting other surface effects and is kept one-dimensional to allow for an analysis of large systems on long timescales. After introducing the model we discuss the evolution of the mean height and the root mean square roughness for different initial surface profiles and process parameters. The results are then compared to experiments and the recently proposed non-locally stabilized Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation in order to discuss whether particle redeposition might be the potential origin of the non-local damping term in that equation.