A note on thermal spikes and sputtering yields

Abstract

The heat conduction equation is solved for a cylindrical spike in an atomic solid. The radial distribution of temperature is then used to calculate the sputtering yield. Different expressions for the heat conduction and heat capacity as functions of temperature are used and the melting of the cold material surrounding the spike is also included. Remarkably, it is found that the sputtering yield is proportional to the deposited energy raised to the power of two irrespective of which thermal conductivity and heat capacity are used, and whether or not melting is included

Key Words:

• Thermal spikes
• Sputtering yields
• Heat conduction
• Ion beams
• Irradiation
• Temperature distribution