Nanopatterning of Si surfaces by normal incident He plasma irradiation

This study reports on the formation of self-organized silicon (Si) nanostructures by 75 eV helium (He) plasma irradiation at normal incidence without the presence of impurities. In contrast to the featureless surface after normal incidence argon (Ar) ion beam irradiation without the co-deposition of impurities, the Si surface exhibits the development of faceted nanostructures under 75 eV He plasma irradiation. The faceted structures are interspersed with valleys that extend in two orthogonal directions, imparting a mountain-like morphology to the surface. Our investigation verifies that the He bubbles align themselves along the direction perpendicular to the surface underneath these valleys. Furthermore, the presence of He bubbles induces distortion in the surface layer and leads to the formation of an amorphous Si layer. The underlying mechanism driving this surface evolution could be attributed to the instability induced by the presence of He bubbles.