Simultaneous study of sputtering and secondary ion emission of binary Fe-based alloys

The sputtering and secondary ion emission of binary Fe-based alloys of simple phase diagrams have been studied simultaneously. A series FeNi and FeCr alloys in the concentration range of 0-100% have been bombarded by 4 keV Kr+ ions in a secondary ion mass spectrometer. The composition of the secondary ions has been analysed and also a fraction of the sputtered material has been collected and analysed by electron microprobe. The surface topography of the etched samples has been studied by scanning electron microscope. The relative sputtering coefficients of the metals have been determined, and the preferential sputtering of the alloying component of lower S have been proved. The etching pictures of samples are in correlation with the sputtering rates. Also the degree of secondary ionization has been calculated from the simultaneously measured ion emission and sputtering data. α+ shows the change in the concentration range of the melting point minimum. This fact emphasizes the connection between the physico-chemical properties of alloys and their secondary emission process. From the dependence of the emitted homo- and hetero-cluster ions, conclusions could be shown concerning the production mechanism of small metallic aggregates