Modification of ceramic coatings by swift heavy ions

• Published in: Surface & coatings technology Vol. 200; no. 5; pp. 1430 - 1435
• Main Authors: Bolse, Wolfgang, Bolse, Thunu, Dais, Christian, Etissa-Debissa, Derejee, Elsanousi, Ammar, Feyh, Ando, Kalafat, Melih, Paulus, Hartmut
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 21.11.2005; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Ceramics; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Dewetting; Exact sciences and technology; Ion beam modification; Materials science; Metals. Metallurgy; Nano-structuring; Nonmetallic coatings; Other topics in materials science; Physics; Production techniques; Self-assembly; Surface treatment; Swift heavy ions; Ion beam modification; Swift heavy ions; Self-assembly; Ceramics; Nano-structuring; Dewetting; Ion beam; Non metal coating; Ceramic materials; Surface treatment
• ISSN: 0257-8972; 1879-3347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2005.08.066

Throughout the last decade, swift heavy ions (SHI) of some MeV/amu kinetic energy have revealed to be an excellent tool for the “nano-modification” of materials. Besides the already existing ion-track technology, which makes use of the structural and property alterations of the material inside the tracks of spatially isolated single-ion impacts, we have recently found that thin oxide films can be restructured on a sub-μm scale by triggering structural instabilities and subsequent self-assembly processes with high fluence SHI irradiation. This way, sometimes, quite regular arrays of nano-structures at the surface and at the interface of the layer system can be achieved, which cover a large area. In the present paper, we will briefly summarize our results on self-organization effects in thin oxide-films on Si and SiO 2, driven by capillary forces (dewetting phenomena), by ion-beam induced tensile stresses (lamellae and “nano-tower” formation) and by the pressure pulse due to the density change upon transient melting of the material inside the ion-track (ripple formation at the interface).