Surface Modifications Induced by High Fluxes of Low Energy Helium Ions

Several metal surfaces, such as titanium, aluminum and copper, were exposed to highfluxes (in the range of 1023m−2s−1) of low energy(<100 eV) Helium (He) ions. The surfaces were analyzed by scanningelectron microscopy and to get a better understanding on morphology changes both topview and cross sectional images were taken. Different surface modifications, such asvoids and nano pillars, are observed on these metals. The differences andsimilarities in the development of surface morphologies are discussed in terms ofthe material properties and compared with the results of similar experimentalstudies. The results show that He ions induced void growth and physical sputteringplay a significant role in surface modification using high fluxes of low energy Heions.