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We used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in combination with transmission electron microscopy to characterize the nucleation and growth of noble metals deposited onto polymers and to determine the condensation coefficients of the metals. The surface concentration of the adatoms was determined using a mathematical correction of the XPS intensity to take into account the cluster formation of noble metals on polymer surfaces. Condensation coefficients for Cu and Ag depend strongly on the chemical composition of the polymer and on temperature and can vary by more than three orders of magnitude already at room temperature. The influence of the deposition parameters and the metal/polymer morphology on the condensation coefficient will be discussed.

Secondary ions, produced by neutral 1.0 MeV argon beam impact on Al2O3 and LiF thin films, are analyzed by a XY-TOF detection system. Angular distributions and initial velocities are simultaneously determined for ionized species originating from the bulk or from the adsorbate layer. The employed XY-TOF spectrometer was designed to measure accurately radial and axial velocity measurements of positive and negative secondary ions with mass <50 u and desorbed from the surface material in the 100-eV energy range. The analysis shows that high velocity diatomic and triatomic molecules can be also emitted in a process similar to the one involving atomic secondary ions, in which energetic binary collisions causes emission perpendicularly to the beam direction. The initial velocity distribution analysis is shown to be helpful in the identification of chemical species lying either on surface or in the bulk material.

In this paper, the SIMS beam induced roughness (BIR) in monocrystalline Si in presence of initial surface or bulk defects of nanometric size is studied. We follow the development of the BIR by monitoring the increase of Si2+ and SiO2+ signals during SIMS sputtering. The topography of the crater bottoms is measured at different steps of the evolution of the roughness using an atomic force microscope (AFM). We show that in presence of nanometric sized defects on the surface or in the bulk, the BIR develops far more rapidly than usual. It appears as soon as the crater reaches the defects and, as reported on Si free from any treatment, the same morphology evidencing waves perpendicular to the sputtering beam develops rapidly. This study of the behaviour of the BIR in presence of voluntarily introduced defects allows us to better understand the basic physical phenomena involved in its apparition.