The influence of surface diffusion on topography development of an amorphous solid during sputtering

The erosion and development of topography on an initially contoured amorphous solid due to the simultaneous action of ion beam sputtering and surface diffusion, is analysed. It is shown that derivation of formal expressions for the local rate of co-ordinate motion and radius of curvature is straight forward. Application of detailed prediction of the time varying behaviour of the surface profile is analytically difficult, however, and computational methods are suggested. The case of radiation enhanced surface diffusion is also considered briefly. (author)