Emission of charged and stable clusters during the ion sputtering of metal

Resumo

A theory of the ion sputtering of metal in the form of excited neutral and charged clusters with their subsequent fragmentation to the stable state is developed. This theory is based on simple physical assumptions and agrees well with experiments. The results are presented in the form of practical formulas. The overall yields of stable neutral and charged clusters of silver, indium, and niobium are calculated as an example.