Surface modification by molecular ions

There are several advantages in using molecular ions for surface modification. The modification can be confined to the uppermost layer of the surface, the molecular character of the ion can be imparted to the surface, and sputter yields are often higher. These effects are demonstrated by the use of mass selected ion beams incident on well characterized surfaces. Energy transfer is examined by detecting the masses and energies of ions scattered off surfaces and performing molecular dynamics simulations. Surface modification is followed by chemical analysis with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface mass spectrometry. TRIDYN monte carlo simulations are used to support some of the modification experiments. Energy transfer is examined for Si(CD{sub 3}){sub 3}{sup +} scattered off clean and hexanethiolate covered Au(111). Adsorbate desorption cross sections and substrate damage depths for NH{sub 3}/CO/Ni(111) are compared for 10-1000 eV isobaric atomic and polyatomic ions, Xe{sup +} and SF{sub 5}{sup +}. The surface chemical modification of polystyrene thin films by 10-100 eV SF{sub 5}{sup +} and C{sub 3}F{sub 5}{sup +} ions is also examined.