Nanopatterning by dual-ion-beam sputtering

We studied the development of ordered nanopatterns during dual-ion-beam sputtering (DIBS) of Au(001) in which two ion beams that cross perpendicular to each other at their azimuth are incident on the surface at a grazing angle. In the erosion (diffusion) regime, a square-symmetric two-dimensional (2D) pattern of nanodots (holes) is formed. The 2D pattern is achieved only when the two beams are balanced in the erosion regime. In the diffusion regime, no such condition is required. The observations cannot be explained by the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky (KS) equation derived from Sigmund theory with two ion beams. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.