Argon cluster impacts on layered silicon, silica, and graphite surfaces

Seven structures of covalently bonded materials are used as targets of 6 keV Ar12 cluster bombardment in classical molecular dynamics simulations. Energy deposition, cratering and Ar ranges are compared and remarkable differences are found between the structures. In particular, bombardment of a thin 2 nm silica layer on top of the Si(111) surface is shown to behave quite differently from bombardment of pure Si