Low energy ion beam modification of nanostructures

Abstract

Nanostructures and nanomaterials with their meso-scopic properties, which can be integrated into functional devices, will enable a variety of new applications in future. They can be grown with specific properties by plenty of physical and chemical methods, and subsequent modification using ion irradiation significantly expands the potpourri of functionality of this important material class. As the ion range becomes comparable to the size of the small structures, important effects must be considered in experimental planning: reduced incorporation of implanted species, morphological changes induced by point defects, as well as strongly enhanced dynamic annealing and sputtering.