Electronic effects in MeV ion tracks affecting thin film adhesion

Abstract
An ion track model was applied to describe MeV ion induced adhesion improvement of Au thin films on amorphous SiO2. Good agreement with experimental data was found when assuming that ion track energy densities above and below a certain interval do not contribute to the adhesion enhancement; damage effects detrimental to adhesion may be associated with the high energy densities in the vicinity of the ion path.