Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology (Feb 2020)

Formation of nanoripples on ZnO flat substrates and nanorods by gas cluster ion bombardment

  • Xiaomei Zeng,
  • Vasiliy Pelenovich,
  • Bin Xing,
  • Rakhim Rakhimov,
  • Wenbin Zuo,
  • Alexander Tolstogouzov,
  • Chuansheng Liu,
  • Dejun Fu,
  • Xiangheng Xiao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.11.29
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 383 – 390

Abstract

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In the present study Ar+ cluster ions accelerated by voltages in the range of 5–10 kV are used to irradiate single crystal ZnO substrates and nanorods to fabricate self-assembled surface nanoripple arrays. The ripple formation is observed when the incidence angle of the cluster beam is in the range of 30–70°. The influence of incidence angle, accelerating voltage, and fluence on the ripple formation is studied. Wavelength and height of the nanoripples increase with increasing accelerating voltage and fluence for both targets. The nanoripples formed on the flat substrates remind of aeolian sand ripples. The ripples formed at high ion fluences on the nanorod facets resemble well-ordered parallel steps or ribs. The more ordered ripple formation on nanorods can be associated with the confinement of the nanorod facets in comparison with the quasi-infinite surface of the flat substrates.

Keywords