Formation of nanoparticles by ion beam irradiation of thin films.

The possibility of fabricating nanoparticles by ion bombardment was investigated by the ion bombardment of indium films on oxide covered Si and Cr surfaces. The different masses of implanting specimen ensured the different energy transfer while the same Si substrate ensured the same thermal conductivity for the In and Cr layers. Chromium served as a reference for the effect of ion bombardment and as a substrate as well. The SRIM program was used to simulate the ion surface interaction process. The nanoparticles were detected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We found that the melting of the In layer results in the formation of nanoparticles of 50-300 nm diameter and 5-10 nm height. This method can be promising for nanoparticle formation of materials with low melting point.