On the energy distribution of self-sputtered atoms at normal ion incidence

According to the Sigmund theory of sputtering, the distribution function of recoil atoms in the target is proportional to 1/E2 for recoil energies E much less than the energy of the ion beam E0. Recently Waldeer and Urbassek in their theory of self-sputtering showed that more accurate treatment of the target surface leads to a logarithmic correction in the distribution which takes the form (1/E2)/[ln(E0/E)]3/2. This result is also valid for E << E0. In the present work, within the limits of the hard-sphere scattering cross section, the Waldeer-Urbassek theory is generalized for the case of arbitrary recoil energies. (orig.)