Ion-beam channeling in a single-surface modified Si membrane [* Cross-Reference *]

The membrane is studied in both a [0 0 1] orientation to the ion beam as well as an inverted orientation. Both the scattering and energy distributions of the transmitted particles reveal a strong dependence on the membrane orientation due to the amorphization of the Si surface.

When ions well-aligned to the [0 0 1] axis first encounter the crystalline layer, they primarily travel along the axial channel before being randomly scattered by the amorphous surface layer, yielding a random scattering distribution. Alternatively, when the trajectories are initially randomized by the amorphous surface, a large fraction of the ions are directed to higher energy-loss pathways upon entering the crystal, such as planar channels and random trajectories.