Sputter yield measurements of thin foils using scanning transmission ion microscopy

Scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) has been applied to measure sputter yields of thin Kovar foil. The results have been found in very good agreement with values determined by the weight loss method, demonstrating STIM as a feasible alternative measurement technique for sputter yield estimation of thin material samples. Measurements have been carried out under normal xenon ion incidence for ion energies in the range between 100 eV and 1000 eV. In addition, sputter yields of Kovar bulk samples are reported. The data might be interesting for ion beam applications such as solar electric propulsion, in which materials with low sputter yields are preferred to ensure a long operational lifetime of the system components.