Ion-beam characteristics of the metal cluster complex of Ir ₄(CO)₁₂

Tetrairidium dodecacarbonyl, Ir₄(CO)₁₂, is a metal cluster complex which has a molecular weight of 1104.9. Using a metal-cluster-complex ion source, it has been demonstrated that stable ion beams of Ir₄(CO)₇⁺ were produced. Energy dependence of sputtering yield of silicon bombarded with Ir₄(CO) ₇⁺ ions was investigated at a beam energy from 2 to 10 keV at normal incidence. Experimental results showed that the sputtering yield varied substantially with beam energy. The sputtering yield at 10 keV was higher than that with SF₅⁺ or Ar⁺ ions by a factor of 3-24, whereas the sputtering yield at 3 keV was lower than that with Ar⁺ ions. In the case of 2 keV, deposition was found to occur. The substantial variation in the sputtering yields was examined using empirical equations for calculating sputtering yields. It was shown that the high sputtering yield at 10 keV would be due to what is called "nonlinear effect" unique to complex-projectile bombardment. It was also indicated that the substantial variation in the sputtering yield would result from lower kinetic energies of each atom constituting the cluster ions. Further, the deposition was explained by considering changes in surface properties caused by the irradiation of the cluster ions.