The development of surface morphology during sputtering with spatially non-uniform ion beams

Earlier work has suggested that the erosion slowness method to describe crystal dissolution by chemical attack and developed to describe sputter erosion is of apparently limited value in the case of spatially non uniform ion flux since erosion slowness curves must be constructed for each individual flux value. It is the purpose of the present communication to correct this misapprehension and to re-establish the value of the erosion slowness curve for spatially non uniform flux. It is thus shown that the erosion slowness curve allows geometric reconstruction of the time developing surface contour and that other cursor techniques have similar validity. This obviates the need for computer evaluation. (author)