Etching characteristics of aluminum oxide and Inconel 600 Ni-based alloy by energetic fluorine and chlorine ion beams

Abstract Etching yields of sputter-deposited aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) by mono-energetic fluorine (F + ), chlorine (Cl + ), and argon (Ar + ) ion beams were evaluated as functions of the ion incident energy in an energy range of 100 to 2,000 eV. The results showed that the etching yields of Al 2 O 3 by Cl + and Ar + ions are higher than those by F + ions over the energy range examined in this study. Ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the formation of some aluminum fluoride (AlF 3 ) on the Al 2 O 3 surface exposed to energetic F + ion beams. The etching yields of Inconel by F + , Cl + , and Ar + ion beams were also evaluated similarly and found to be much higher than those of Al 2 O 3 under the corresponding conditions examined in this study. The results suggest that Al 2 O 3 is likely to be more corrosion resistant than Inconel against F or Cl-based chemically reactive plasmas.