Effect of Elevated Temperatures on Sputtering Yields

A study was made of the effect of elevated temperatures on the sputtering yields of polycrystalline and single-crystal metals. The temperature range extended from 350 to 1000°K. The yield determinations were made by standard weight-loss techniques. The bombarding ions were ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ with energies 2, 5, and 10 keV. The face-centered-cubic polycrystalline Cu and Al targets showed essentially no change in yield with temperature. This is to be contrasted with the polycrystalline body-centered-cubic targets Mo, W, and Ta which showed linear increases in yield of 26, 28, and 39%, respectively. A Mo(100) crystal face showed no change in yield over the temperature range, but a Mo(110) face showed a 12% increase in yield. On the other hand, a Cu(110) crystal showed no change in yield with temperature, while a Cu(111) face showed a decrease in yield of 24, 12, and 16% at 2, 5, and 10 keV, respectively.