Structural materials polycrystalline homogenization

Crystalline structure and defects since the sputtering yield depends on the crystalline orientation (46-47). a polycrystalline material will produce characteristic steps [48) and the depth resolution will be reduced. The best materials for yield measurements are either single crystals or totally amorphous materials. It has been shown that the introduction of reactive ions leads to a smoother sputtered surface (49-.5I) than that resulting from noble-gas ion sputtering. This is probably due to the formation of an amorphous surface oxide layer, which then sputters homogeneously (52). 

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